Nightshade and Rose Petals
by SnowieBearSnarl
Summary: Ruby Rose is an extremely talented young doctor, however, her practice puts her in the unique position of being the most skilled black market doctor around. Working off the books from her top quality clinic in the slums of Vale she'll treat anyone as long as they can pay. Though she works with unsavory people, she uses her position to do a lot of good.
1. Ruby Rose Underworld Doctor

Bright fluorescent lights flickered gently overhead, filling the room with their soft white light and glistening off large and expressive, pink and brown heterochromatic eyes. She was a petite woman, even sitting elevated on the examination bed she was very blatantly diminutive. She wore dark brown pants with white boots, but her top had been removed, leaving her sitting in her pale pink bra, revealing a long gash running from her upper arm to her shoulder. The young woman smirked as she watched with a pleased and excited look in her eyes while a pair of dainty, pale hands wove thread through through gash on her right arm. Her hands moved so fluidly and confidently, quickly sewing through her petite patient's skin with the precision of a master and the grace of an artist as she stitched the thin black thread in a crisscrossing pattern up the length of her wound.

"Um, it's kinda hard for me to focus with you staring at me like that Neo." The young woman blushed, her cheeks tinting pink as she smiled bashfully, but her hands never wavering even a millimeter as she closed up the relatively fresh wound. Her long black, red tipped hair was tied back in a ponytail behind her head and her stunning silver eyes shined like liquid metal, shimmering in the white, artificial light of her clinic. A white labcoat with the sleeves cut off hung from her shoulders, adorned with rose petals falling down to the long tail of the coat, flowing behind her almost like a cape.

"She likes watching you work." A man said with a huff of laughter, leaning against a nearby counter with one hand stuffed in the pocket of his black pants while the other held onto the curved handle of his cane as he tapped it against the ground, fighting off his nicotine craving by fidgeting. "She's a bit of a freak, I almost think she got cut on purpose just so you could stitch her up."

"Well that would certainly explain how she managed to get hurt. Not many people can do that. Oh well, I don't mind the company and you always pay generously so it works out for me." Ruby giggled, never once missing a beat with her stitching. "Well, I'm sure whatever poor soul did this to you didn't walk away unscathed. I'll give him your regards if he comes in."

"Hey, aren't you bound by confidentiality or something?" Roman joked, bringing his hand and his cane up as he adjusted his black bowler hat on his head. "Well, sorry to deprive you of a customer but the guy who did this didn't end up walking away at all. You know how Neo likes to have her fun."

"Oh. I see." Ruby's voice softened as she worked through the final few stitches. "Well, you could have at least brought me the body to practice on. I need to keep my skills sharp Roman, after all, I'm saving lives here."

"Yeah, you're a real saint Red." Torchwick smirked, shaking his head at her. "Anyway, carrying a body in broad daylight isn't the easiest thing, even in this neighborhood."

"That's too bad, a fresh body would have covered your fee and I could have gotten rid of any evidence too." She shrugged indifferently as she tied off the final stitch, turning her gaze to meet Neo's, the small woman still smiling playfully and smugly Ruby pulled away, placing her tools on the metal tray beside them, reciprocating with a warm and caring smile of her own. "Alright, the cut isn't too deep but you should still take it easy for a while okay? It's a pretty big gash so I'm going to prescribe some antibiotics. Keep it clean and come back to see me in a week so I can follow up got it?"

Neo gave a firm and energetic nod as she hopped down from the bed, her boots clicking against the ground, her grin never fading for a moment. Her big sparkling eyes stared up at her doctor and her smile took on an even more playful and flirtatious tone as she stepped forward, bringing herself only inches away from Ruby, her head only coming up to the doctor's chin. Ruby's blush immediately intensified, blood rushing to her cheeks as Neo stood up on her toes, closing the gap between them, pressing her soft, warm lips against Ruby's, Neo pulling Ruby in by her shoulders, holding her in place until the doctor's body relaxed, giving in to her eccentric patient's whim. _It's not like this doesn't feel nice._

"Okay then…" Roman interjected, walking up and pulling Neo off the physician, leaving Ruby blushing deeply, her heart pounding in her chest and her heart aching with disappointment at the abrupt end to their tender kiss, her lips still tingling with excited electricity and her body fluttering with a blissful warmth. "You want your payment in Lien or Dust?"

"Wha? Oh! Right, payment, yeah, he-he." Ruby shook her head, forcing herself back into her senses, but the warmth of the kiss lingering on her lips. "Yeah, I've heard you've been amassing a lot of Dust lately."

"That's right, and with Dust prices on the rise, its resale value will only go higher. I could hook you up with some buyers if you don't already have the connections." Torchwick was a smooth and charming speaker with charisma to spare, Ruby had struggled in negotiating with him, thankfully, after he charmed his way into some unfavorably good deals for her, she wised up.

"Hmm, but the market is unstable and its relying on you to still be in play. I think I'll just stick to Lien, although," A flirtatious smirk brightened her mischievous expression as she walked around the two of them before throwing her arms around Neo from behind, holding her close. "If you leave her with me I'll call it more than even, I'll actually owe you a favor. Come on, I'd love to have such a cute assistant who isn't squeamish about blood!"

"Sorry Red, Neo's mine." Roman forced his arm between them, grabbing Neo by her waist and pulling her in close to him against his side. "I'll just make the usual payment to your account."

"Aww, you're no fun." Ruby pouted. "Fine, just make sure she follows my instructions. I'll go get the antibiotics for you, hold on one second."

"Will do Doc, don't worry, I'll make sure she takes it easy." He laughed, holding onto Neo tight, being careful to not pull at her stitches while Ruby wandered over to a door leading deeper into her clinic. It was a sizable facility capable of handling just about any scenario and she was a capable doctor, one of the best who has single handedly saved more lives in her the last few years than most doctors do their careers, earning her quite the reputation.

Ruby Rose walked down the wide facility divided into five sections; in the front was the waiting room and exam rooms, behind that was the recovery room and pharmacy, behind that was her OR and ER, behind that was her comprehensive lab and behind that was her small morgue. The floors were tiled with ceramic and the sections were divided by metal and glass walls, opaque at the bottom and clear at the top and the walls were painted a calming blue. This was her clinic, her domain, all sorts of people came through and because of the nature of her practice, she attracted dangerous elements, people most would rather not associate with, Roman Torchwick being a prime example. However, she worked well outside the system, answered to no one, had no red tape and all the autonomy, that was just how she liked it.

 _Hmm, I should put her on low dose Amoxicillin. That wound was several hours old and didn't look like it had been cleaned, better to be on the safe side._ Ruby rested her chin between her thumb and index finger as she walked into her pharmacy, everything nearly organized and right where it needed to be. Taking a plain brown paper bag from the cabinet behind the counter she reached for a large bottle of antibiotics, putting the appropriate amount into a smaller, unmarked black bottle. With a satisfied smile she spun on her heel and in a fluid motion pulled a large, yellow sticky pad off a stack atop the counter and pulled out a pen from her pocket, writing down warnings and instructions before sticking it and the bottle inside the brown bag.

"That should do it." Ruby gave a happy, affirming nod to herself as she walked through the the small, waist high gate with no lock between the recovery room and the pharmacy. No one had tried to steal drugs from her yet so she didn't bother, it's not like they could get away with it anyway. With a pleasant spring in her step she made her way back to her patient with her prescription in hand. Most of her work came from people like Roman and Neo, though most of her business wasn't from drop ins like them, she liked the company of familiar faces though so she liked it when they came around. She was essentially their family doctor, taking care of them through everything from colds and general health maintenance to serious injuries from their dangerous lifestyle. There were few people who she was close to but Roman and Neo were practically family with how long she worked with them.

"Here you go." Ruby chimed in a silvery voice as she entered the exam room through the very modern looking opaque glass door. "Take it once a day in the morning and try to stay out of the sun okay?"

"I'll make sure she follows your orders Doc." Roman took the brown paper bag from her with a grateful smile.

"Good, you two get going and do take it easy Neo, as much as I love seeing you, I don't like you getting hurt." Ruby took Neo's hand in hers, holding it gently as she tenderly rubbed the side her of hand with her thumb. "Be careful okay?"

Neo's eyes grew wide, sparkling with happiness and gratitude as her smile became softer and more genuine. With a soft sigh she stepped forward, putting one arm around Ruby in a loving hug, making sure not to move her freshly stitched arm as per her friend and doctor's orders. The young doctor was warm and soft, both to the touch and as a person, Neo's eyes fluttering closed as she felt Ruby return her Embrace, the physician being careful and minding the work she had just done on her friend's arm as she held her close.

"Stay safe okay?" Ruby pulled away, her eyes drawn to the length wound on Neo's right side. Seeing the concern in her eyes Neo brought her hand gently under Ruby's chin, lifting her head up until their eyes met, a reassuring smile on the patient's lips as she gave a small but affirming nod.

"Thanks for the excellent work and as always, it's been a pleasure getting to see you again." Roman gave a suave bow, putting his hat to his chest as he lowered his head to the doctor before standing back up and putting his hat back on his head. For some reason, Ruby couldn't help but think he just didn't look right without it.

"Drive home safe!" Ruby beamed amiably, waving her goodbyes as Neo and Roman walked out the front door, Neo almost waving back before the tug of her stitches reminded her she was using the wrong arm.

 _She's not going to take it easy is she?_ Ruby shook her head, smiling as she put her hands in her labcoat pockets before following her patients out.

"Short Fuse." Roman said with a mocking tone as he stepped up from the short stairs, opening the door and crossing the threshold into the unassuming, graffiti riddled alley, tipping his hat at a small woman almost as short as Neo with shoulder length apple red hair tied into a brain on one side. She wore a white denim vest over a strip of purple cloth matching her eyes that barely managed to cover her chest, leaving her stomach bare all the way down to her white, tattered shorts secured to her waist with a steel chain belt. Wrapped around her her wrists and forearms were matching chains leading into her pockets.

"Roman." Thistle barely held back an annoyed growl in her voice as she took a drag off her cigarette, puffing a cloud of white, fragrant smoke deliberately in his direction. "I see you're not dead in a gutter somewhere. Oh well, tomorrow's another day."

"Well aren't you just as delightful as ever." Torchwick smirked as he walked past her with Neo close behind, sticking her tongue out at the young woman.

"Thistle, you need to stop butting heads with the customers." Ruby laughed flippantly as she closed and locked the door behind her.

"It's just Roman I can't stand, and his pet sociopathic mute." Thistle huffed, biting down on the filter of her still smoldering cigarette, stuffing her hands into her pockets, the chains around her wrists clanging together.

"I think you just don't like Neo because she has a thing for me." Ruby smile playfully nudged her associate with her elbow, her eyebrows bouncing up and down mockingly.

"Hey, it's my job to keep you safe and with all the crap that those two are into I don't like how close you are to them." Thistle closed her eyes, trying to ignore her boss' taunts as she took another deep breath of the nerve calming smoke.

"Most of my clients are dangerous but Roman and Neo are special, they've been coming to me for years. They're like family so I want you all to get along." Ruby's voice was sincere and sad, almost pleading as she pressed her warm shoulder against Thistle's and despite having her eyes closed, Thistle could just imagine the adorable pout on her face.

"Fine, whatever, I'll try to be nicer, but I'm not letting my guard down around them for a minute. You're too trusting and too good natured, I have to be suspicious enough for the both of us." Thistle sighed, knowing she was always in a losing battle with her boss. Her soft purple eyes fluttered open, finding her cigarette burned down to the filter, much to her displeasure.

"That's fine, after all, that's what I pay you for." Ruby giggled as she twirled around, coming to a grinning stop in front of her bodyguard with her arms behind her back as she leaned forward.

"You don't pay me Ruby…" Thistle took one last breath through her cigarette before spitting it onto the pavement, snuffing it out with her sneaker.

"And yet you stick around anyway." Her unstoppably bubbly personality shined through her smile and her eyes as she started walking down the alley with Thistle following by her side.

"Yeah well, it's not like I have anything better to do." She shrugged, digging in her pocket for pack of cigarettes, giving it a shake, her annoyance growing at the realization that she was nearly out.

"You know those will kill you right?" Ruby hummed with a teasing grin, her bright eyes flickering between Thistle's and the pack in her hand.

"Oh well, I know a good doctor. You want one?" Thistle held up the pack, flipping it open revealing only three cigarettes left with shreds of tobacco littering the bottom.

"I didn't realize you only had a few left, I'll buy you some more after we eat dinner, I'm starving!" With a thankful nod of her head she took on from the pack as Thistle took hers, leaving just one left that she jammed haphazardly into her pocket as she dug around for the lighter.

"It's a little early for dinner isn't it?" Thistle asked only half paying attention to herself as she pulled out her lighter, holding it up in front of her boss' face as they walked.

"Mhm," Ruby hummed as Thistle ignited the small, warm flame, burning the paper and tobacco as Ruby took a long deep breath with a satisfied sigh of relief. "Dinner, lunch, whatever, I'm thinking pizza."

"That sounds good any time." Thistle giggled, lighting up her cigarette, holding it between her fingers as she sucked in the addictive smoke. The pair stepped out of the dirty alley into the two way street that cut through the town, sparse traffic zooming by, not caring about the speed limit in the area where even cops tended to stay away from.

"Yeah! I thought so too!" Ruby was glowing with happiness as she always was after a job, her smile practically unending as she took in a deep breath of the inner city air, the ember in her cigarette glowing red as smoke wafted up from it. She gave a long and satisfying stretched while she bathed in the warm light of the sun as it shined down onto her pale skin, her heels clicking against the pavement as she walked with the spring in her step.

"So, the rest of the day should be quiet, what do you want to do when we get back? It's been a bit since we got a chance to relax." Thistle pulled her cigarette from her lips, blowing out a puff of white as she looked to her boss.

"That's a good question, wanna cuddle and watch movies?" She beamed, the purity of her smile and the warmth in her voice drawing out a blush from the normally tough as nails bodyguard.

"Th- that sounds nice… I guess." Thistle muttered as she focused on her tobacco, her eyes looking anywhere but those shining silvers.

"Did I ever tell you how adorable you are when you're flustered?" Ruby snorted out a laugh at her friend's expense. She had known the redhead for the better part of two years and they were about as close as could be, she trusted Thistle with her life, and had routinely put that to the test and Thistle never once let her down. A fiercely loyal and devoted friend that meant the world to Ruby.

"Ruby." Thistle's voice suddenly became very cold and low like a warning growl as she came to a dead stop, her eyes soft lavender eyes cold and narrow as she stared across the street into an adjacent alley.

"Oh…" Ruby words were soft and somber as she watched the scene play out. Five men, all faunus, stood in a small swarm around a limp body lying on the ground. She could practically feel the rage and malice from them as they kicked whoever had earned their hatred, beating them though they were already beyond the point of being able to defend themselves.

"She we do something?" Thistle turned to Ruby, a fire burning behind her eyes, a lust for action combined with a desire to help. Ruby's gaze was steady and cool as she met Thistle's and for a long moment, she stood in stoic silence.

"Do it." Ruby made up her mind to help, watching them murder a helpless person right before her made her sick to her stomach with anger, tainting the wonderful day she had been having. "Stop them but don't kill anyone."

"Got it!" A wild and excited grin pulled at her lips as she reached into her pockets, wrapping the chains once more around her wrists before pulling them back up in a flourish, two razor sharp curved karambit knives dangled from the chains glinting in the sunlight. She didn't even notice Ruby shaking her head with a resigned smile as she turned around, her weapons draw and bolted across the street.

"Aaaaaaah!" Thistle screamed belligerently as she threw herself into the fray, taking all five large men by surprise!

Before any of them knew what was going on, the little redhead exploded into a action, jumping up and slamming her chain wrapped elbow as hard as she could into the nearest one's face, sending him crumpling to the ground as his face gushed blood and the bones in his nose shattered! With a swing of her arm she lengthened the chain connecting to her knife, spinning it rapidly as she stared down the remaining four.

With their teeth bared and their rage and adrenaline still high from their lynching they all faced down the little girl without fear as three of them pulled out small pocket knives, one grabbed a steel pipe leaning against the alley wall and the fifth stuck with his fists. Thistle's wild and savage excitement burning like a raging fire through her veins as she grinned, the thrill of battle giving her the high she loved.

"You little bitch!" One roared, his animal like fangs bared as he ran towards Thistle, slashing his knife at her… but he was far too slow.

In blur of glinting steel Thistle sidestepped his blade while simultaneously wrapping her chain around his arm holding the knife. She dominated, the moment he tried to cut at her she redirected his hand, his blade gliding only millimeters away from her, but still her grin never faltered. The other men charged at her but she was ready, moving with the momentum of the entangled man's slashes she used him as both a human shield and a weapon, redirecting his cuts towards his friends, slashing one across the thigh and cutting another's chest.

With his rage blinding him the entangled faunus threw all his weight into a punch aimed at the much Smaller girl's head… but it was futile. Thistle weaved through his slow, predictable punch, pulling his other hand with her, stabbing his knife into his arm before she tangled her leg with his and grabbed on to his large upper arm. With her surprising strength and his weight and momentum she effortlessly threw him to the ground, his arm bleeding and his knife surrendered to the ground as she stepped on his back.

 **Booom!**

An explosion rang out, a powerful gust of air expanded out nearly toppling them all and sheering a the skin off of the back of the man she stood on as the concussive pressure wave exploded from her foot. This was her Semblance, a truly powerful and dominating ability that made her a fighter stronger than many Huntsman.

The men stared at her in horror, Thistle's lavender eyes burning with defiant fury, daring any of them to attack. With two men down and most of them injured by the deceptively powerful tiny girl, they staggered away from her, clinging tight to their weapons as they backed away before running away, some literally, with their tails between their legs.

"Pathetic." Thistle huffed with contempt as she stepped off the unconscious man.

"They made the right choice, I certainly wouldn't want to fight you." Ruby said in her normal cheerful tone as she stepped up beside her friend.

"Yeah well, with the people you know, I'd never want to fight you either." Thistle sighed, letting her body relax as her excitement and adrenaline wore off.

"She's in bad shape." Ruby muttered to herself as she knelt down beside the young woman with long jet black hair and cat ears protruding from the top of her head. She was covered in dirt and blood, laying unconscious with her broken and bruised face in the pavement. Placing her fingers on her neck Ruby focused, feeling for her pulse, counting the moments between beats… and then her eyes grew wide and her own heart started racing.

"Thistle we need to get her to the clinic immediately!" Ruby shouted with a frantic desperation in her voice as she carefully rolled the girl onto her side, her eyes looking down her black and white clothes until she found a hole in her lower abdomen, oozing deep crimson blood. Her breaths were weak and shallow and her pulse was nearly gone. The young faunus woman was dying.


	2. Nightshade

"Get her into the OR!" Ruby commanded as they burst through the door, a young faunus woman bleeding out in Thistle's arms as they ran down the short flight of stairs. Ruby ran along side her bodyguard, staying close and applying pressure to the patient's lower abdomen as it oozed more and more blood, the faunus' conditions quickly deteriorating as she succumbed to both the blood loss and the subsequent beating she took. She could feel her breaths growing weaker and weaker with each passing moment, Ruby knew she needed to act fast.

"Put her on the table! Get me a one unit of O-negative from the fridge! Hurry!" Without another word Ruby parted, leaving her bodyguard to follow her instructions as they rushed into the operating room. Ruby bolted to the sink, scrubbing down as quickly and thoroughly as she could while Thistle dropped the faunus' limp body onto the table before scrambling over to the fridge. Thistle had no clue what she was doing but she at least knew that Ruby kept her own blood in the bags in front, her being O-negative and thus being a universal donor she had it there for ease of access. _No time for anesthesia, I'll worry about that later._

"Hang it up on the IV pole, and hook her up to the monitors, I'll take care of the rest!" Ruby rushed to dry off her hands, throwing a mask over her face and forcing her gloves on over her still damp hands.

"Don't have to tell me twice." Thistle put the bag of Ruby's blood on the hanger, the crimson vital fluid sloshing around in the plastic confines. Feeling nauseated at the sight of it Thistle quickly turned away, trying to regain her composure.

Her OR was always ready, this wasn't the first time she plucked someone in need of immediate medical treatment from the streets and brought them into her clinic. She was a one woman surgical team, a master of trauma surgery whose prompt interventions have saved many lives. Without hesitation Ruy reached for the tray of sharp tools of her trade, grabbing a pair of scissors she began her work, effortlessly slicing through the fabric of her clothes, cutting it all the way up to her collarbone, bra and all before pulling her clothes away, leaving the faunus exposed, her pale and pallor skin glowing under the surgical light.

Grabbing a sanitizing alcohol wipe off of her tray she pulled the patient's arm up, quickly and thoroughly cleaned her arm on the upper side of her elbow before pulling the long tube from the bag of her blood with a sterile needle sheathed in plastic at its end. She had very good veins, easy to see in the bright light, stretching out her skin Ruby jabbed the needle into her vein, releasing the stop on the tube and letting the life giving fluid flow into her body.

 _Single gunshot wound to her mid abdomen on the right side… not good, it looks like it's right around her liver._ Ruby could feel her heart rate increasing, the urge to succumb to her adrenaline almost overwhelming, but through practice and will she learned how to suppress it, keeping her hands steady for the job. Taking a small breath she placed her scissors down and grabbed a sponge soaked in extremely potent antiseptic, rubbing it around the hole as she examined the wound.

 _One centimeter hole, no exit wound. Okay, not off to the best start._ Her gloved fingers slid over her taut, toned abdomen until she felt the hot blood trickling up from her wound. Slowly and with extreme care Ruby slid her fingers into the entry wound. She could feel the subtle motions of the unconscious woman's breaths and the slight contractions of her muscles as her fingers slid into her abdomen. She could feel the weak beating of her heart, earch desperate pump gushing more blood out. Still, she pushed deeper, feeling around inside her, absorbing every little detail with tips of her fingers, knowing exactly how everything should feel.

"Bleh! I can hear you digging around in her." Thistle cringed at each gurgling sound as Ruby twisted and worked her fingers into the wound.

"This digging around is me saving her life. Geez, you were a mercenary when I found you, how are you so squeamish?" Ruby shook her head, returning her attention to her patient. "The bullet nicked her right hepatic artery but it she got lucky, her intestines aren't perforated."

"I just am okay!" Thistle growled as she washed her hands, praying that her boss wouldn't need her to do anything gross.

"There it is, six centimeters down. I'll need to get that out before I can do anything else." With a soft, relieved sigh she pulled her fingers out, cool air washing over her fingers warmed inside the woman's body as she reached out for the tray, grabbing a scalpel and pulling off its cap as she brought the insanely sharp and small blade to her flesh.

With an effortless cut Ruby sliced through skin and fat down through her abdominal sheath, spreading the wound lengthwise four centimeters. Spreading apart her precisely lacerated flesh Ruby shined the light down into her, the light reflecting beautifully off of her gushing crimson fluid, but through the blood and organs she could see the light glinting off of a shiny silvery metal. _There you are, looks like you didn't do too much damage in there, lucky for her._

Ruby reached over without looking away from the wound, keeping it spread open as she grabbed the forceps. This was the easiest part, keeping her eye on the bullet as blood washed over it with every tepid heartbeat she eased the forceps down into the wound, carefully grasping the bullet, making sure she had a firm grip on it before pulling it out and dropping it into a metal bowl beside her tray, falling into it with a distinctive metallic ding that she actually rather enjoyed the sound of. _That's really good. A high density, high velocity aura piercer, completely intact, no fragmentation._

 _Now I just need to stop the bleeding from her artery._ She felt her tension ease as she got into the swing of it, this was the fun part for her. With a small smile on her face she grabbed a clamp, locking down the artery above where it was bleeding, stemming the flow of vital fluid, buying her time to work. The specialized clamp bit down into the artery, holding it down inside her wound as Ruby grabbed a small square patch half the size of a postage stamp and her needle and surgical thread and surgical pliers for detailed stitching.

With a pleased smile on her face Ruby dropped the hooked needle into her wound, pliers in one hand and the patch resting on her finger that she dipped into the hole in her abdomen, carefully placing it on the damaged artery, pressing it on gently before retracting her blood soaked finger. With her adrenaline gone and her body relaxed, she hummed happily as she worked the needle and thread through the thin wall of the artery, moving ever so slightly with almost mechanical precision and ease. She stitched her way around the patch, sewing it securely into the outer surface of the blood vessel in a whimsically decorative but extremely effective pattern.

 _Okay, that should do it._ Ruby smirked, tying off the threat and cutting it, pulling away the needle and placing it down on her organized tray. Releasing the clamp she watched the blood begin to flow on its normal path, the patch holding her blood in while providing a matrix for the artery to heal on. It would be absorbed as it was replaced by her healthy tissue.

"She's out of the woods for the most part, but all the smaller vessels are still bleeding, I'm going to need to cauterize." Ruby's voice was calm and satisfied, sounding pleased with herself as she pulled back.

"Nope!" Thistle cried out, throwing her hands up in the air. "Fuck that, I'm going outside for a smoke break!"

"Fine, at least make yourself useful and go to the convenient store across the street and get some snacks for us." Ruby sighed as she wandered over to a nearby counter, having to mentally remind herself not to fall into her habit of putting her chin between her thumb and index finger while they were covered in some random woman's blood.

"How can you be thinking about food!? You just hand your fingers in her intestines!" Thistle shouted in revulsion and disbelief, though she'd been around Ruby long enough to know that she had a strong stomach for this sort of thing.

"Because she interrupted us on our way to getting pizza and I haven't eaten since breakfast! Also, my fingers were not in her intestines, I was just feeling around inside her abdominal cavity to check for intestinal perforation!" Ruby growled as she picked up a menacing looking thin metal rod with a cable running from the back of it.

"Uhg! Fine, just do whatever it is you're gonna do after I'm out of here!" With that, Thistle spun around and made a very hasty exit to the front of the clinic, practically running as the reached the waiting room before darting up the stairs and slamming the door behind her.

"Thistle's a good person." Ruby smiled softly, putting the scary implement back down on the counter as she walked back up to her patient. "Sometimes I just can't help but mess with her. You're going to be fine, I'll just pack your wound, stitch you up and insert a shunt to drain away the excess fluid. Just rest for now."

Ruby watched the woman's vitals slowly begin to stabilize and color return to her pale cheeks as her doctor's blood coursed through her veins. She would still need a few more stitches on her face and a complete workup to ensure she didn't need any more emergency surgeries, but after that she could rest easy, recovering from her near death experience.

* * *

Thistle stood outside of the door in the dirty, graffiti stricken alley they called home as she took a long drag off of her cigarette, puffing clouds of fragrant white into the air with each exhale. The building that the clinic was under was condemned and had been for a very long time. To anyone who didn't know any better, you would never think one of the best surgeons in the world worked out of her own little fully equipped hospital for shady people completely off the books.

"Well, she's done for now." Ruby gave a tired but satisfied sigh as she stepped out from the door, giving a wide and comfortable stretch, taking in a deep breath of the not so fresh inner city air.

"That's good to hear." Thistle smiled halfheartedly as she pulled her cigarette from her mouth, a back of snacks dangling off her other wrist along with her chains that held to her knives. "You've earned it."

"Thanks Thistle! I promise I'll buy you more!" Ruby beamed gratefully as she took the smoldering cigarette from her friend, bringing it to her lips, feeling the dampness of Thistle's saliva on the filter as she drew in a deep inhale of smoke.

"I already bought us each a pack." Thistle shrugged, giving a small huff of laughter as she reached into her pocket for the new pack, only missing two cigarettes and then three as she took another one into her mouth.

"You're no fun." Ruby giggled as she she blew out a stream of smoke. "Removed a bullet, gave her blood, patched an artery, inserted a shunt, gave her high dose intravenous antibiotics, anesthesia, morphine, antiinflammatories, she's gonna need an X-ray, MRI, CT, ultrasound, CBC and recovery care."

"Sounds like she's worked up quite a bill." The bodyguard chuckled as she flicked on her lighter, igniting the warm orange flame and setting her cigarette to smolder. "I don't think she has much money to pay us."

"Us? What did you do?" Ruby nudged her friend with her shoulder, a playful smirk on her lips pursed around the filter of her cigarette.

"Kicked the guys asses who were kicking her ass." She shoved her back, her eyebrows raised and a smug grin on her face as she put Ruby in her place.

"Okay, you got me there." Putting her hands up in the air Ruby surrendered with a snort of laughter. "Anyway, yeah, I figure she won't be able to pay in a traditional way."

"Oh, you've got something in mind?" Thistle knew better, Ruby always had something in mind, the girl never went a day without some sort of devious plot in her head.

"Heh-heh, yep!" Ruby took a long breath through the filter, bringing in the fragrant smoke as she bit lightly down on it, sending the smoldering shreds of tobacco into a hot glow. "I've got a plans for her."

"I know that look, she may have wished that bullet did her in." Thistle chuckled, leaning against the wall as she looked up to the blue sky.

"Hey, don't make me sound so evil! I think it's my offer is a better alternative than dying!" Ruby huffed indignantly, making an intentionally adorable pouty face.

"Relax boss, I was just teasing you. I'm sure she'll be thankful to you for saving her life… I know I was." Her smiled softened as she fell slightly to her side, her bare shoulder coming to rest on Ruby's, a pleasant heat tingling from the point of contact and spreading through her body as she let her eyes slowly close, focusing on the smell of smoke and the soft, warm touch.

"Yeah, I just hope she takes the offer." Ruby sighed, her heart clouded with doubt and concern. Even so, as she felt Thistle's weight against her, she felt a small comfort in their touch, bringing a grateful and content smile to her face as she leaned a little closer, their hands resting at their sides, barely touching… but it was enough.

* * *

Darkness… everything was darkness. From the depths of nothingness her consciousness stirred, finding only the most vague awareness of self and darkness. Slowly, she became attuned to her body, a weak attachment that quickly grew stronger, becoming aware of her steady breathing and the gentle, rhythmic beat of her heart. Then, she became aware of her senses, hearing a strange, high pitched beeping following along to her heart and finally… she felt pain.

Her eyes weakly began to flutter open, bleary and heavy at first she tried to get her bearings, struggling to keep her eyelids up. Her stomach ached with a deep and permeating intensity and her entire body felt like her bones and muscles had been replaced with cement. Her head felt light and fuzzy, almost good if it wasn't for the pain keeping her grounded.

"Well good morning sleeping beauty." A happy and chipper voice chimed from beside her.

"W-what… where am I?" She groaned, coming to enough to blink away her bleariness and turn her head to the side and what she saw was not at all what she was expecting. A beautiful young woman in a custom lab coat with pale skin and rosy cheeks smiled at her from a chair by her bed, her long black hair hanging down her shoulder from a ponytail tinted dark red at the tips.

"Don't try to move, I pulled a bullet out of you only three days ago, you're going to need a little more time to recover." She smiled brightly, scooting up closer, her hands folded in her lap and her big silver eyes glistening with excitement and eagerness.

"Who are you?" She asked, turning her head back to herself, looking at the sight of where the pain radiated from, seeing a thin tube running from a bunch of gauze leading from her wound.

"I'm Dr. Rose but you can just call me Ruby. We saved your life, you're really lucky we found you when we did, if I had operated much later your blood loss might have killed you." Ruby seemed wholly unfazed, her grin just as shining as ever.

"I have to go. I don't want to cause you any- Gah!" She yelped in pain as she tried to sit up, falling onto her back into the soft, comfortable bed, an intense and almost unbearable pain gnawing at her from deep within her abdomen.

"Now now, if you try to get up like that again I'll just have to sedate you and that wouldn't be any fun for either of us." Ruby leaned forward, gently brushing away stray strands of black hair from the cat faunus' face. "You're very pretty you know?"

"Um… I… what?" She blinked, wondering if she had heard the doctor right.

"I mean your face, it wasn't too badly damaged from the beating you took. You'll have some minor scarring but otherwise you'll be fine." She laughed as she retracted her hand.

"Oh, I see. Thank you." She sighed, trying to relax her body, still reeling from the pain.

"Well that, and I find you very attractive." Ruby tilted her head, smiling innocently as the faunus' amber eyes grew hilariously wide.

"Don't mind her, she's crazy but she's also a genius. You're in good hands." Thistle interjected, pulling her boss back, giving the patient a little more personal space.

"Where exactly am I?" She asked, trying to shake the very unexpected compliment from the woman that was supposedly her doctor.

"I'm glad you asked!" Ruby perked up excitedly. "There isn't an official name but I call it the Underworld, it's my clinic and well… it's underground. I think it sounds cool."

"I appreciate you taking care of me but it's not safe, you should let me go before-"

"Shhh!" Ruby smiled, putting a finger to the faunus' lips. "Don't get worked up, you're safe here, in fact, this is the safest place in the world for you right now. Let me guess, you're a White Fang defector?"

"How did you know that?" The faunus' gaze turned suspicious and weary as her eyes darted around the room.

"Just a hunch, I've seen how they deal with early retirees. Don't worry, the White Fang can't touch you hear I promise." Ruby rested her hand on the woman's shoulder, smiling reassuringly at her. "Why don't you tell us your name?"

"My name…" She hesitated, the suspicious look in her eyes intensifying for a brief moment before that warm and honest smile of her doctor snuffed out the flickers of doubt. A soft sigh escaped her as her lips formed into a weak smile. "My name's Blake, Blake Belladonna."

"Well Miss Belladonna, you already know me, and this here is Thistle, she's my head of security. I know she doesn't look like much but she saved you, taking out all five guys that were beating on you at once!" Ruby expressed the action of the event with wide and bombastic gestures of her hands.

"It didn't happen like that. I only took out two, one at a time and the rest ran away." Thistle shook her head, bringing down the magic of her boss' exaggerated tale.

"It doesn't matter! What's important is that you're safe and I saved your life!" Ruby's once warm and genuine smile morphed into that of a playful and cunning grin as she looked Blake directly in the eyes.

"Subtle." Thistle scoffed but Ruby was undeterred.

"This is my clinic and I work on absolutely anyone for any reason… as long as they can pay." The emphasis in her words left no doubt about what she was getting at, even in her dazed state Blake understood.

"I'm sorry but… I don't have any money." You could just feel the worry dripping from her voice as she looked up with uncertainty and fear at the doctor, however, she only looked more excited.

"That's okay, I figured that would be the case. Like I said, this is my clinic, I work off the books and so I can make the payment whatever I want. So Blake… I'm going to offer you a deal, I do hope you'll take it." Her devious smirk grew as she leaned forward, gently running her fingers through Blake's hair.

"What kind of deal?" Blake's voice shook with fear, her mind racing with all the worst possibilities.

"Well you see, I need a new assistant. One who isn't so squeamish around needles, blood, surgeries and all other manner of bodily fluids. You'll work for me as my assistant, helping with with patients, doing inventory and paperwork, helping me with my scheduling and whatever else I need you to do until your debt is repaid. It's the same deal I offered Thistle when she was in your position." Ruby's smile softened as she pulled away, her expressive silver eyes earnest and caring.

"Yeah, that was over two years ago, though you said my debt was paid after the first year." Thistle laughed, coming up behind Ruby and leaning against her as she sat in her chain looking up happily at her employee.

"And you stuck around all this time anyway!" She beamed, resting her head against Thistle's toned abs.

"Well, I like it here." She shrugged, a soft pink blush tinting her cheeks as she looked shyly away from Ruby.

"I like you here." Ruby admitted, closing her eyes as she swayed her head slowly back and forth against Thistle's bare stomach.

"I hope, in time, you'll come to like it here too. It's not all work, we have a lot of fun too and you'll always be safe and have food and roof and the best medical care in the world." Ruby turned her attention back to Blake, taking her hand in hers as she looked hopefully and pleadingly at the faunus. "You don't have to decide right now, but I really do hope you'll say yes."

"I… I think I should get some rest." Blake smiled, she wasn't even sure why, but as she looked into her doctor's shimmering eyes, she couldn't help but feel at ease. "But I do owe you for saving me… your deal doesn't sound so bad."

"Well, you rest up Blake, I'll be in to check on you every couple hours but if you need something, here's a buzzer, click the button and I'll make Thistle do whatever you want." Ruby snorted out a barely restrained laugh as she handed the buzzer to her patient.

"Of course you will…" Thistle planted her face in her palm, shaking her head, hoping that the newest potential member of their weird family didn't have the sick sense of humor her boss did sometimes.

"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you Ruby, Thistle." She smiled gratefully at her two saviors but could feel the drugs quickly lulling her back into unconsciousness. "I'm gonna * _Yawn_ * get some rest…"

"Yeah, you do that. Sleep well, Blake Belladonna." Ruby stood up, the happiness and caring in her heart shining through her eyes and her lips as she turned away, shutting off the light behind her as Thistle followed along, leaving their patient and possible new employee to get some much needed rest.


	3. Home

A dull ache throbbed at her side, gnawing at her with every movement that pulled at the still healing wound in her abdomen. Her cat ears twitched atop her head and her face turned into a pain filled grimace as she slowly and arduously pulled her white button up shirt over her other shoulder, sighing with relief as it slid into place. However, the pain wasn't the first thing on her mind as she stood next to the bed she had been laying since she awoke from having a bullet pulled out of her, her top unbuttoned, leaving her front exposed, only a lacy black bra covering her chest and fresh, clean bandages covering the sight of her gunshot.

"Um… Ruby, do you have to watch me get dressed?" Blake blushed as slowly moved her hands to the top button.

"I don't have to, but why would I miss it? Besides, it's good to see how well you're recovering. Anyway, it's not like I haven't seen you half naked before." Ruby winked with a playful and flirtatious smirk on her lips, her hands stuffed in her lab coats pockets as she leaned against the frame of the door propped open by her body.

"I wonder how Thistle would feel about you saying that?" Blake gave a half smile as she buttoned down her top, the white juxtaposing against her tight black pants.

"Oh, Thistle and I aren't together… like that." The tables were very abruptly turned as Ruby found her cheeks growing hot as they tinted pink.

"Really?" Blake's eyebrows raised in surprise and disbelief. "You're both so close and they way you two are together I just assumed…"

"Yeah, you wouldn't be the first person to think that." Ruby sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "Thistle and I, we're just what we are, we don't overthink it or push it to be more or less. She understands me, I really like that about her, that we can be the way we are."

"I'm sorry, it wasn't right for me to jump to conclusions like that." The faunus bowed her head in regret, her cat ears drooping atop her head.

"Come on, don't look so sad! You're breathing steadily, you can walk and you're full of blood which is more than I could say about you when you first came here." With a bright and amiable smile Ruby walked up to Blake, placing her hand gently but firmly on her shoulder, her bright silver eyes sparkling with a reassuring happiness. "Come on, now that you're dressed I'll show you around your new home."

"Alright, that sounds good." A soft smiled pulled at her lips without her even realizing it as her doctor turned boss spun around with a flourish of her long lab coat embossed with rose petals, gesturing with her hand for her new assistant to follow her. _Home huh?_

"Well, as you know, this is the recovery room." Ruby spread her arms out in a wide, sweeping motion towards the room filled with six beds with curtains partially dividing each one into its own little partition. "There isn't much to tell that you don't already know since you've been sleeping here for the past five weeks but yeah, this is where patients recovering from surgery stay. It's equipped with everything you need, as you've seen and as long as it doesn't involve bodily fluids Thistle is very good at caring for our patients. However, now it'll be your job to do all those things and Thistle will only assist you if you really need the help."

"I understand, I'm fine around blood." Blake nodded, vacantly looking around the room she had been staring around for over a month.

"Good because when you're ready you'll also be assisting me with surgeries." Ruby chimed cheerfully as though inviting someone with no medical knowledge to help with a surgery was a normal thing.

"R-right…" Blake gulped. Over the past five weeks she had questioned multiple times just how sane this doctor was, but she couldn't argue with the results she got. Doctor Ruby Rose brought her from the brink of death and now she was up and walking around.

"Alright, moving on!" Very abruptly Ruby clapped her hands, snapping Blake to attention as she proceeded out the opaque glass and metal door.

"This," Ruby began as she came to an abrupt stop, Blake nearly tripping over her as they entered the next room. "Is the exam room. Here I run standard checkups, patch minor injuries and perform less invasive tests. As my assistant, this is where you'll be spending a lot of your time when you're here. You'll be my nurse, you'll draw blood, take vitals, ask the patient every question on the questionnaire that I'll have printed out for you, you'll do examinations and assist me however I need or want."

"I don't have any medical background, are you sure that this will be okay?" Blake asked nervously, having no idea how to even draw blood, imaging herself ripping apart someone's vein in trying to get the needle in the right place.

"Don't worry, I won't ask you to do anything that I don't think you're ready for." Ruby spun on her heel to face Blake with a warm but playful smirk. "Trust me, I'm a doctor."

"You saved my life, of course I trust you. I'm just a little apprehensive, I've never done anything like this. Before you found me in that alley, I was running away from the organization I had been involved with pretty much my entire life. I was lost and had nowhere to turn, I didn't know what my life was going to be like without the White Fang… but I never expected it to be like this." Even as she spoke, even as her heart clouded with doubt, she was still smiling.

"Well don't worry, this is your home now and-"

 **Bzzzzz- bzzzzz- bzzzzzz!**

"Hold on." Ruby sighed as she reached into her lab coat pocket with an annoyed expression, pulling out her Scroll. After less than a second her face brightened happier than Blake had ever seen, practically glowing with glee and excitement as she turned around and answer the call.

"Yang! It's good to hear from you again!" Ruby practically squeaked joy, eliciting a stifled giggle from Blake as she waited patiently.

"Hey Sis! It's nice to talk to you, I didn't call at a bad time did I?" Yang's voice was amiable but soft, lacking the intensity of happiness that Ruby's words held.

"Not at all, just showing my new assistant around the clinic." The doctor hummed with happiness, bouncing slightly on her toes.

"A new assistant? Ooh, how did you get this one?" Yang chuckled.

"Well, I kinda found her bleeding to death in an alley near the clinic, Thistle rescued her from the people attacking her and I pulled a bullet out of her abdomen. She couldn't afford my bill so I offered her a deal." She couldn't help but giggle a little with a devious smirk on her lips, hidden from the subject of their talk as she faced away from Blake.

"Really?" Yang hummed, Ruby could practically feel her sister grinning at whatever idea she had in her head. "Is she cute? You ask her out yet? Come on, tell me the details! I have to know!"

"I mean yeah she is, but it's not like that. I've only known her for a little over a month and most of that was her recovery. She's just a friend and my assistant, stop getting ideas like that." Her blush returned with a vengeance as she bashfully rubbed the back of her head.

"Well she must be special, you save a lot of people who can't pay right away, you always give them options. The only person you've ever taken in before was Thistle and I know how special she is to you." Her elder sister pushed for answers, Ruby could practically taste her curiosity over the Scroll.

"Well, I didn't say she wasn't special." She had to resist the urge to put her arm around herself in a self hug, her heart feeling warm and fuzzy. She was thankful her sister couldn't see the look on her face.

"If you like her then go for it! I worry about you Sis, you're twenty seven and you haven't had a real relationship since your first year of med school. It's been six years since then, I want you to find someone who will make you happy, you deserve to move on and be happy… she has." The sad, sympathetic tone in her sister's voice instantly chilled Ruby's smile to a sorrowful, frown and her chest felt like it was filling with ice water as painful memories she'd rather not have thought about came to the forefront of her mind.

"I'm just… I'm not ready yet Yang." Ruby admitted, it was painful, and it hurt coming out, but she couldn't lie to her big sister.

"I know… I just, I want you to be happy, I love you and I know you're in love with work but you're a beautiful and amazing woman, you deserve someone special." Soft, warm and brimming with love and caring, Yang's compassionate words and voice penetrating the wall of ice around Ruby's heart, her eyes shimmering with tears as she felt the warmth of uncompromising love from her sister.

"Thank you Yang." She blinked away the tears clouding her eyes and a soft but grateful smile pushed itself onto her lips. "When I'm ready, I'll find someone."

"Take all the time you need Ruby, you've got at least one hot, fiery girl just waiting for the day you're ready for her, now it sounds like you've got two. Thistle and this new girl, I hope they take good care of my baby sister." Ruby could almost feel the warmth radiating from the other side of the scroll, filling her heart with a bittersweet feeling that teetered on the edge of the deepest happiness and the coldest heartbreak.

"I don't know if they feel that way about me but if they ever do… well, maybe I'll be ready someday." All she could do was sigh away the turmoil in her heart, closing her eyes and focusing on the soft sounds of her sister's breaths and the tenderness of her voice.

"You will, and when you are, I think you'll be surprised at just what was in front of you the whole time." Yang cooed gently, Ruby again feeling grateful that her sister couldn't see the simultaneously blissful and guilty look on her face.

"By the way, I was wondering, would it be alright if I came down to stay with you for a while? Dad and I could use a break from each other." Yang laughed sheepishly, but that couldn't hide the undertone of melancholy behind her words.

"Of course! You know you're always welcome here! I'd love to have you around and besides, I don't love you staying with Dad, he's not qualified to take care of you, no training, no experience, I'm fully equipped to take care of anything you need and am completely prepared in case of an emergency and-"

"Whoa, calm down Sis, I'm not asking to come stay with you for my health, I mean come on, it's not like I can get much worse. I just miss you… I'd like to see you again." Her tone shifted rapidly from casual and playful to forlorn and wistful, the abrupt change nearly giving Ruby emotional whiplash as she caught up with her sister's feelings.

"Yang, I miss you too, but don't give up hope okay? I'd love to have you here, I've been wanting to see you a lot too. When do you think you'll be coming down?" She did the only thing she felt she could do; try to make Yang feel better, however she could.

"A couple weeks, you know how Dad can be." She could practically hear Yang shrugging over the Scroll.

"That sounds good, I'll have everything ready for you. Don't worry, we'll have a lot of fun!" Ruby's words burned with certainty, conviction and determination.

"I'm sure we will! I'm excited to see your new assistant too, give her a kiss for me okay?" The playful and teasing tone her voice came back, and with it, so did Ruby's blush.

"Yang!" The doctor shouted indignantly, stomping her foot on the tile floor. "Am I going to have to put up with this the whole time you're here?"

"Yep!" Yang snickered at Ruby's expense, using her older sister license to tease her baby sister as much as she wanted.

"Uhg, so much fun…" Ruby grumbled with dread at just how much Yang was going to embarrass her in front of Thistle and Blake.

"Heh-heh, well, I'll let you go for now with that taste of things to come. Don't worry, I won't tease you too badly, we'll have fun with other stuff too! Maybe we'll go for a run together." A halfhearted laugh escaped her lips, once again bringing down Ruby's smile.

"Yang… I-"

"Nope! I don't want to hear your voice like that! It was a stupid joke, I love you Sis, I'll see you soon!" Yang interrupted, cutting off Ruby before she could get in another pity ladened word.

"I love you too Yang, I'll see you soon." She sighed, shaking her head slightly as she brought her voice back to a more happy and loving tone.

"Bye!"

"Bye."

 **Click!**

With a heavy heart, her hand fell to her side with her Scroll held in a loose grasp, her shoulders slumped and every aspect of the young doctor exuded dejection. With a sad and forced huff of laughter she shoved the Scroll back into her pocket and turned around to find a worried and confused looking assistant staring at her.

"Heh-heh, sorry about that, my sister, she wanted to let me know that she's coming to stay with us for a while." Ruby forced her expression to be relaxed and happy but the sadness in her eyes dilated the potency of her relaxed smile.

"Is she okay?" Blake wasn't sure it was right to ask, immediately regretting the words slipping out without thought to the impact they may have on her boss and friend.

"She's as good as she can be, I think she just needs a change of scenery, my Dad isn't the most cheerful person these days." Ruby shrugged as she walked up to her assistant with a half hearted smirk. "I bet you're curious, I mean, half that conversation ended up being about you in a roundabout way."

"I don't want to pry, your business is yours… you don't have to tell me." The faunus' ears twitched, slightly and subtly, but a sure tell of hers that she was lying and uncomfortable about it. She was curious, she could hear the conversation between the two well, certainly better than a human could have.

"Well, you should know, since she's going to be like that when she gets here." Ruby's smile became a little softer and more genuine, but a deep sadness still lingered in her silver eyes. "I've only ever had one real relationship, back in my first year of med school. She was a beautiful and strong woman with a big heart and a dazzling smile, we were only together for about six months but they were some of the best months of my life. Sadly, it didn't work out, I was becoming a doctor and she was a Huntress, we were on very different paths, both would have consumed our lives… it was probably for the best that it didn't work out."

"You still love her." Blake muttered without thought. It was clear in every word from the doctor's mouth, in the way her smile and eyes brightened talking about her, and then dulled when talking about losing her, the way her tone grew higher and more alive and the way it grew darker and softer. The doctor was still pining for a love lost almost a decade ago.

"It's hard to get over someone like that, I've been kinda a mess ever since. I make an effort for my sister but I just have a hard time getting that close to someone… even if I want to." Those last words came as a gentle whisper filled with pain and regret as she looked away from Blake with guilt in her eyes. "I've gotten pretty good at flirting but taking those extra steps past that, it's just hard for me."

"I'm sorry, she must have been very precious to you." Blake want to do something, but she wasn't sure what. In her heart she felt a compulsion, an impulse to throw her arms around the girl and reassure her however she could… but she resisted, instead offering her attention.

"She was… she still is. You'll understand when you meet her, it's bound to happen sooner or later." Ruby stuffed her hands into her pockets once again, her fingers running over the shape of her pack of cigarettes, deeply craving the release of giving in to her addiction once again. "Come on, I'll show you where you'll be sleeping."

"Right." Blake nodded, figuring that talking about it was more painful for her new boss than not talking about it. So, she followed Ruby out of the exam room and into the waiting area near the entrance. It had been the first time she had seen this part of the clinic, her post surgery walks only taking between the recovery room and the exam room until now.

"Well, this is the waiting area, you'll have work to do here too. As my assistant you're also my receptionist. Originally, Thistle was suppose to do all of the things I've told you about but I've quickly found that she has no patience for dealing with people and has no stomach for dealing with the wonders of the human or faunus body. Still, she's as strong as they come so she does security for me… or rather, she does security for us." Ruby laughed a little, her mood seeming to dramatically improve speaking about the diminutive firebrand.

"So the waiting area, exam room and recovery room are the three rooms closest to the entrance, behind them is the surgery room and the lab right?" Blake asked, double checking everything she knew both to confirm and to show her boss that she was paying attention.

"That's right, and at the very back is the morgue and incinerator." Ruby grinned brightly.

"So then, where do we sleep?" Blake titled her head, looking around for any doors leading to potential bedrooms… but she had seen none.

"I'm glad you asked!" The doctor exclaimed excitedly, stepping back until she was standing beside Blake, putting her arm around the faunus and pulling her close with a wild and eager smile. Pulling out her scroll she put it up in front of them, navigating the menu until she found the app she was looking for and then, pointing her Scroll towards the door… she clicked it.

For a moment… nothing happened. Then, Blake's cat ears twitched as a mechanical humming filled the air and moments later, the floor began to vibrate. She watched in awe as something rose up from the floor, Ruby with a satisfied grin on her face watching Blake's reaction as the large elevator popped up from the floor, her assistant staring, her mouth agape at the grandiose display.

"Pretty neat huh?" Ruby released her assistant before walking over to the elevator, its top now touching the ceiling. "Come on, I'll so you the rest of the Underworld."

"Wow…" Blake muttered as she followed along, standing under the top of the tall elevator, its floor polished brass and the beams leading from its top to bottom on each corner were shiny steel.

"Thistle is downstairs waiting for us, I think you're going to like it. I don't usually splurge but I decided to treat myself when making my home down there so it's pretty nice." Ruby puffed her chest out with pride as the elevator descended.

Blake's eyes widened with wonder as she beheld the lavish home before her, the elevator coming to an eased pneumatic stop. It was beautiful, the floors were made from polished concrete stained to look like smoke rising up from the pitch black pit with only a thin layer of glass separating them from falling in. The walls were a lighter, more raw concrete and the ceiling was painted a natural white. A soft white glow from the recessed lights overhead filled the room they had descended into.

"Come on, let me show you around!" Ruby stepped off from the elevator with a spring in her step, her heels clicking against the concrete floors as she walked forward, Blake following close behind, her gaze looking around her as they walking down the short hallway.

"This is the living room, at the end of the day we like to relax, watch movies, play games and have fun." Ruby smiled, her posture more relaxed and comfortable in her own home. The living room was well decorated with a soft gray rug covering the hard floor. A large and comfy looking burgundy sectional with two arm chairs on either side of it. In front of the couch was a very modern metal and glass coffee table very much reflective of the decor upstairs. Hanging from the wall in perfect view of the seating was an impressively large and high quality television.

"Wow…" Blake gawked, suddenly feeling out of place in such nice home, certainly nicer than any place she had lived.

"It's pretty cool right!?" Ruby was brimming with pride and satisfaction at Blake's reaction to her new home. "The bedrooms are down here."

"This is a very beautiful place Ruby." Blake said only half paying attention to herself as she walked down the hall behind her new boss, taking in the various details of the home, such as how clean it was and how every at how comfortable Ruby looked compared to when she was in her clinic where to seemed more intense.

"Okay, there's three bedrooms here, you can have either bedroom or you can sleep with Thistle and I." Ruby said as she came to a stop in a hallway with four sliding opaque glass doors that receded into the wall when opened.

"Wait, you and Thistle share a room?" Blake tilted her head, feeling somewhat confused by just what Ruby and her bodyguard were to each other.

"It's not like that… I just like having someone to wake up to that I care about. Plus, my room is the only one with a master bathroom and an awesome whirlpool tub!" Ruby hit the small button beside the door, opening up the nearest bedroom. "This is my room, I have a really big bed so… I mean, whenever you want to you can come sleep with us. Just sleeping, I won't try anything I promise."

"Thanks, but for now I think I should get settled into my room." Blake's smile was genuine and warm with a light rosy tint to her pale cheeks.

"Well then you're gonna need these." Thistle stepped out from Ruby's bedroom with an imposing stack of thick books in her small arms.

"Um… what is that?" Blake asked with a hint of dread as she stepped slightly back.

"This is your homework. It's all the basics you need to know. Mostly nursing stuff, first aid, biology, pharmacology and everything else you're going to need. You have three weeks to read and absorb all of it." With a very pleased grin at Blake's expense Ruby patted the tall stack of books, nearly throwing Thistle off balance.

"Three weeks for all of that?" She gulped nervously. She knew reading through them wouldn't be too hard, but it sounded like there would be a lot of complicated things she wouldn't understand off the bat.

"Don't look so scared Blake. I know it looks like a lot but you'll be happy you learned it when you need it. You're my assistant now, you owe me your life, that's the deal you took but it's not a bad thing." Ruby's smile softened as she stepped forward, taking Blake's hands in her own, her big, sparkling silver eyes staring earnestly into her deep ambers.

"I'm going to ask a lot of you, it's going to be hard work but you'll have a place here. This is your home now and I consider you family, I wouldn't have taken you in otherwise. I know that might not make a lot of sense now but in time you'll see that the way we do things, what we do, there's always a reason for it and even if it seems wrong, you'll have to trust me that the ends will justify the means. Blake, this is the start of something new and big for you, something life changing. You said before you didn't know what kind of life you'd have without the White Fang… I'll tell the kind of life it will be; your life will be warm, it'll be safe and you'll be loved and have a purpose. I hope that you'll come to understand that, and love this place and us."

"Home… family… love. Those aren't things I've had in a long time… I'm not sure I'm ready for all of that but I- I like it here. It's warm." A tender and delicate smile formed from her lips, in her hands she could feel the warmth of Ruby's soft touch and beside her Thistle smiled, balancing the stack of books away from her face. She'd only known these people for a little over a month but she couldn't deny, she felt at home here.

 _Home… I could get used to that._


	4. Phase Twenty-Three

"Well, we're here." Ruby stated with a subdued hint of excitement in her voice as they pulled into what looked like an abandoned warehouse in at the far end of the slums. It looked even more dilapidated than the building atop the clinic, its windows broken in and what looked like the scars of a fire that once ravaged the building. However, if Blake learned anything, it was that appearances could be very deceiving.

"What's here?" Blake asked, half curious half apprehensive, wondering just what she was walking into.

"A very powerful and very important client." With that said, Ruby unbuckled her seatbelt and got out, a well stocked leather bag full of medical supplies on her shoulder while her two assistants followed her, exiting from the back seat that she resigned them to. The car Ruby drove was nothing short of a work of art, a high performance, luxury vehicle that looked more than extremely out of place in this parking lot abandoned despite being the middle of the day. According to Ruby, she had to go all out on her car, it was a status symbol, she wouldn't be taken as seriously in less bombastic transportation.

"Blake, I want you to pay special attention in there because this is a big part of the job. I won't ask you to assist this time, just watch, learn and understand." Ruby stuffed her hands in her labcoat pocket, pulling out her pack of cigarettes and her lighter, pulling out one of the tobacco filled sticks and putting the filter in her lips as she flicked open the silver lighter, burning the shreds of addictive plant and paper to a smolder while she inhaled a deep breath of smoke.

"I can do that." Blake assured, but still, she felt uneasy. 'What do I really know about Doctor Ruby Rose? I know she's kind and warm and loving but I can't help but feel something deeper and darker around her, I get little flashes of it when that side of her trickles through. I don't know if I like that Ruby.'

"Good, come on." Ruby motioned for them to follow her with a jerk of her head as she put her hands back into the pockets of her custom lab coat, her almost knee length black skirt fluttering in the breeze, her red button up top beneath her lab coat gave her a striking balance of red, black and white that made her look at once beautiful and intimidating.

"Ruby's being kinda vague, who exactly is the client?" Blake whispered to Thistle who was walking beside her, more quiet and stiff than usual.

"She's being vague for a reason. You'll see soon but all I can say is that I don't like this. The person we're seeing here is one of the two people in the entire world that I'm afraid of." Thistle's fists gripped tighter around the chains that wrapped around her wrists and hung into her shorts' pockets where her recurved karambit knives were ready and waiting. The diminutive woman looked forward, keeping her soft purple eyes on her boss, intense and alert, Blake had never seen the official badass of Ruby's personal entourage so on edge before.

"Who's the other?" Blake's chest felt tight, her ears swiveled atop her head and her pupils were wide black holes in the middle of bright amber.

"The other person I'm afraid of?" Thistle tilted her head slightly to the side, her expression becoming more relaxed and cocksure, almost amused as she turned her gaze from the faunus beside her to her boss in front of them. "It's our boss… Ruby is the most terrifying person I've ever met, but the person we're meeting is a close second."

"You're afraid of Ruby?" Blake gulped, her skin feeling cold as a subtle chill worked its way up her spine.

"Well, it's not really like that. I love Ruby and I trust her with my life, hell, I'd die for her, but I've been with her for two years and I know what she's capable of. Knowing the person we're meeting, I think you're about to get a taste of that side of Ruby too." Thistle felt a little more at ease with that knowledge, certainly more than Blake did.

"If you two are done gossiping we've got work to do." Ruby said, shaking her head slightly with a smirk on her lips still pursed around the filter of her cigarette as they walked through the rusty front door.

"This client is important so I want you all to be on your best behavior. No matter what you see, don't act unless I say to." Between Ruby's words and the dark atmosphere, the tiled hallway they walked down only being illuminated by dim orange lights as the hum of a Dust Generator whirred from further inside, Blake's apprehension was growing with every step.

"Yes boss." Thistle shrugged, forcing her grip to relax on her chains with a sigh.

"I understand." Blake nodded tepidly, her mind running wild with what exactly she was about to see. She'd find out soon enough as their pace slowly, approaching a pair of swinging double doors with small, dusty glass windows on each.

With one last deep drag on her cigarette, inhaling a lung full of fragrant smoke and burning away the paper nearly down to its filter Ruby finished off her fix, releasing a large white cloud from her mouth as she let the smoldering remains fall to the tiled floor, snuffing it out with her shoes before pushing both doors open at once and stepping into the room before them with her assistants in toe.

"Ruby dear, it's lovely to see you again." A soft but frighteningly dark voice cooed as the doors closed behind them.

"It's good to see you too Cinder." Ruby gave an amiable smile, walking without hesitation up to the beautiful woman with in the red dress, her own associates, a young man with gray hair and dull gray yets sat in a relaxed position on a folding chair behind them while a girl with crimson eyes and mint green hair looked about as on edge as Thistle.

"I see you have a new pet." Cinder grinned turning her predatory amber eyes to Blake. "Where did you get this one?"

"She's a former patient with a debt, so she agreed to be my new assistant." Ruby stepped back ever so slightly, just enough to put herself between Cinder and Blake, though her comfortable smile never wavered.

"She must be special, you haven't given that deal to anyone besides Thistle." Blake wasn't sure how she felt about this, but first Yang and now Cinder both saying that she was somehow special to Ruby, she didn't understand what that could possibly mean.

"She'll be with me for a while I hope, I think you'll see sooner or later. For now though…" Ruby trailed off, her eyes wandering around the room, coming to a stop on a heavy, windowless metal door with patches of rust eating through the paint.

"Yes, let's get to it then shall we." Cinder smiled, her piercing gaze breaking from the nervous faunus. "Our guest is right in there. He's been very uncooperative, I'm hoping you can get him to open up with that gentle and tender touch of yours."

"I'll see what I can do." Ruby smirked playfully, shrugging one shoulder, jostling the leather bag hanging over it. "Thistle, I'd like you to stay here with Cinder, Blake, this will be a good learning opportunity for you so you'll be coming with me to observe."

"Okay…" Blake shrunk back, walking over to her boss while giving Cinder as much a wide berth as possible without being too obvious.

"You'll find our guest through the door at the end of the hall." Cinder stepped forward, grabbing the handle of the door and pulling it open for them. "Have fun you two."

"We'll get what you need." Ruby said simply, her smile fading as she walked into the hallway, Blake quickly following in after her, trying to make her brush with Cinder as expedited as possible before she heard the heavy door close behind them.

"So Blake, what do you think so far?" Ruby's voice was soft and distant, her eyes firmly focused in front of her as they walked down the windowless hall towards a single door at its end.

"I'm afraid of what's going to happen on the other side of that door." She wouldn't lie to Ruby, especially not when she felt so afraid. She'd seen terrible things during her time in the White Fang, but something just felt very wrong in her heart.

"Well, it's not going to be pretty and… and you're going to see a different side of me in there Blake. I didn't want you to see this side of the job so soon but I guess it's for the best. You see, I work off the books, I'm a black market doctor and unlike normal doctors, most of my business is actually house calls. Sometimes it's to treat a rich patient who would rather not go to an accredited, official hospital and other times… it's to do something like this." She came to a stop, placing her hand on the handle as she turned her glistening silver eyes to Blake, the sorrow and guilt in them aching the faunus' heart. "What I'm about to do, you just have to trust me okay? I'm still Ruby, no matter what I do in there. I just need you to watch and not say a word."

"Ruby…" Blake didn't know what to say, she'd never seen Ruby look so sad and afraid. The young doctor wasn't afraid of what she had to do but rather, how it would make Blake think of her. _I've known her for over a month, she's funny, she's sensitive, she's warm and she cares about the people close to her fiercely. I told her last week that I would trust her… so I will._

"I'm ready for whatever happens. I'll do what you say." Her light amber eyes held a strength of conviction but also something softer and warmer, it was the same thing in her small but compassionate smile; reassurance towards Ruby, letting her know that she didn't have to be afraid of what she would think of her.

"I'm glad, thank you." A tiny and fragile but immensely grateful smile pulled at her lips for just an instant before her gaze turned ice cold and she pushed the door open.

The pair walked into the small, dimly lit room. Unlike the rest of the building they had seen, this room was lit only by a single, flickering florescent light. At the center of what was once likely a storage closet was a man, beaten and tired, his face scarred with scraps and bruised and his wrists chained to a heavy wooden table. With a bright and amiable smile on her face Ruby sat in the metal folding chair across from him while Blake leaned against the concrete wall, watching and learning as Ruby instructed.

"Hello." Ruby beamed, placing her bag on the table beside her as she crossed her legs and scooted up. "I'm a friend of the woman who captured you, I'm also a doctor so you don't need to look so scared."

"I- I won't tell you! Your or that witch! I can't they'll kill her!" He stammered, his brown eyes filled with fear as he looked up at the all too placid smile of the supposed doctor before him.

"Hmm, see, that's a problem for me. You see, I have a job to do, and that job is getting you to talk." Her smile faded, bringing her face to a calm neutrality as she opened her leather messenger bag, custom built to hold all of her tools. For a painstakingly long minute Ruby rummaged around, looking for whatever it was that she wanted while the man's fear of the unknown, of what was to come, festered and grew.

"Aha!" Ruby perked up, a satisfied smile on her lips as she pulled out a small syringe, holding it up in front of her for him to plainly see. "This is a special cocktail I designed, it was actually inspired by the woman who captured you. It's my own unique blend of muscle relaxer, mild paralytic, a powerful pyretic, you know, fever inducing chemical, drugs to cause very painful peripheral neuropathy, capsaicin which will burn like hell as it courses through your body, burning every nerve you have and of course, the real kick; a powerful hallucinogen and drugs to inhibit kidney and liver function to make the suffering last as long as possible!"

"W-wait! Please, you don't want to do this! If I tell they're going to-"

"Eh, none of my business." Ruby shrugged with a carefree smile. "You see, the woman in there, she's a dear friend of mine… I respect her immensely. I met her three years ago, oh you should have seen how beautiful she looked at that moment. I mean, she's beautiful now but on that night, the way the flames burned behind her as the house she set ablaze crumbled, that look in her stunning and deadly cold amber eyes that let me see all the way down into her blood stained soul. She was like something at once from a dream and nightmare, I could just feel the power and authority she exuded and the fear she commanded. I've never forgotten that night…"

"Well anyway, as you can see, she's special to me, I admire her tenacity and drive to get what she wants… and here you are, standing in her way, giving her a hard time." Ruby shook her head with a frown before setting her gaze as cold as liquid helium on the poor man. "This cocktail… it was inspired by her, even the name was inspired by her. I call it Hell Fire, it's beautiful and its effects are well, you'll see in a minute."

"No! No please don't! Please!" The man cried and begged, his tan skin soaking the sweat and his eyes brimming with terror as the doctor in front of him merely smiled, uncapping the long, thin needle.

"Now now… it's just a pinch." Her tone grew dark and terrifyingly soft, not unlike Cinder's as she lowly reached across the table, taking the man's rough and sweaty hand into her own, her pale, soft fingers brushing over his, holding his hand softly and warmly, her gentle silver eyes looking straight into his as she plunged the needle into the most prominent vein in his arm and injected the cocktail.

"There, you didn't even feel that did you? It works with the kids almost all of the time." Ruby smiled softly, retracting her hand as she capped the now empty syringe, throwing it back into her bag. "Don't worry, the effects take about two minutes to kick in. First you'll feel the intense burning from the capsaicin, then your muscles will feel heavy and weak until you can't move at all. Next you'll start to feel a more steady pain as the capsaicin wears off and the neuropathy sets in. Then, you'll start to feel that intense fever and finally realize why I call this concoction Hell Fire. Finally, the hallucinations will set in, you'll lose your sense of reality, you won't be able to move and everything, your entire existence will be nothing but intractable pain for at least twenty-four hours. It will be the worst experience of your life, you'll go through unimaginable suffering and you will break, be it from that injection or the dozen others I brought with me. I could keep this up for a long time, but you don't have to suffer that long, just tell me what Cinder wants to know, and I'll administer the antidote."

"P-please… they'll- they'll kill her. If I- If I tell…Grrrr… gah! Aaaaaaah! Aaaaaah! Fuck! Fuck! Make it stop! Make it stop! P- please!" He clenched his arm in vain, his body searing with agony like he was being burned alive from the inside, his blood turning to fire in his veins.

"Oooh, that was fast, I thought you'd get a little more time to just be terrified. Oh well." Ruby shrugged with a dismissive grin. "You tell me what Cinder wants to know and I'll give you relief. Trust me, this is the nicest part of the your excruciating and very, very long experience."

"Okay! Gah! Grrrrrr! I- I'll tell! G-Gypsum town… between Vale and Vacuo. In two weeks… j-just- just grrrrr! M-make it stop!" Tears poured from his eyes and even they burned. He could feel his muscles growing weak as his arms fell limply down on the table, but even as his flailing and fighting tapered off, the pain only grew worse and worse.

"Oh, sorry about this but I can't make it stop. Like I said, I added inhibitors to stop your liver and kidneys from filtering the drugs out so there's nothing I can do. Oops!" Ruby blushed, sheepishly rubbing the back of her head. "I can give you some anesthetics though, let you sleep through this part at least. Oh, but when you wake up you'll be waking up in hell because this will only buy you a few hours of relief."

"Y-you bitch… you m-monster…" He could barely speak, his jaw muscles relaxing to the point of him drooling as he fell to the table, the paralytic setting in.

"That is no way to talk to a doctor." Ruby huffed, folding her arms over her chest. "Fine, but only because I'm in a good mood I'll knock you out even though you were mean to me."

Ruby reached into her bag and grabbed another syringe, this one smaller and filled with a clear liquid. With a content grin she turned his arm up facing him before injecting the sedative into his vein, the first puncture still bleeding as his heartrate and blood pressure skyrocketed. With a long and heavy sigh Ruby reached into her bag and grabbed a roll of gauze, wrapping the bandages carefully around his arm before she stood up and solemnly closed his eyes for him, the muscles in his eyelids being completely paralyzed.

"Sorry, but you chose to make a very bad enemy." She whispered as she threw her medical bag over her shoulder and slowly, hesitantly, turned to see Blake.

The young faunus woman was staring in shock, disbelief and horror, her wide amber eyes glued to the man lying limp on the table sweating profusely. Her face was pale as blood drained in horror from her cheeks, robbing her already pale skin of its color, her ears were standing straight up on her head and her mouth was dry and heart was racing. Blake couldn't see it but, for a moment, Ruby looked away from her assistant in shame and rage, her jaw muscles bulging at her cheeks and her her firsts balled at her sides.

"Blake… it's time to go." Ruby barely whispered, forcing herself to relax her body. Still, the faunus seemed too stunned to have even heard her as she just kept her gaze fixed on the man Ruby had mercilessly tortured.

"Blake." Ruby tried again, placing her hand on her shoulder, her heart nearly breaking as Blake's first instinct at her touch was to flinch away, wrapping her arms around herself as she looked with terror at the young doctor. "Blake, we need to go. I don't want to be here anymore."

"Ruby…" Her voice quivered as she backed away slightly, shaking with revulsion and fear, her mind an incomprehensible storm as she tried desperately to make sense of everything she had just witnessed.

"Please, don't look at me like that." Ruby stepped forward, reaching out a delicate hand, her eyes shimmering with hurt and hope... hope that was crushed as Blake once again flinched away, recoiling at the doctor's approach.

"I'm sorry." Was all Ruby could say for herself as her hand fell back to her side in heartbreak and dejection. "We can't stay here."

With a heart feeling like it was made of cold lead, Ruby turned and opened the door, walking out from the room where her devastated assistant and tortured captive remained. Blake lingering for another moment, at once terrifyingly numb and deeply disturbed, her chest felt tight like her heart could be strangled by the feelings that raged through her mind and body. Still, as she heard the retreating footsteps of Ruby's heels against the tiled floor, she slowly and shakily backed out of the room, giving one last look to the man who she could only imagine, despite the anesthetic… was still in agony.

 _I- I've never seen her like that before. That wasn't human, the way she just- she just caused so much pain without any hesitation, without showing any remorse. Is that really the same woman who saved my life? I thought I knew Ruby, the girl who struggled with love because of the one that got away, the girl who smiles as she makes people better, the girl who wants love and companionship more than seemingly anything, that's the Ruby I know. That in there, was that the real Ruby or just something she had to do?_ Waves of nausea swept over her as she hugged herself tighter, her heart racing and her eyes clouded with tears as they entered the room where Cinder and Thistle were waiting for them.

"Gypsum Town, between Vale and Vacuo, two weeks from now." Ruby reported clearly and concisely with a cold tone in her voice.

"I knew I could count on you." Cinder smiled almost flirtatiously as she brushed her warm hand over Ruby's cheek. "I'll have my people verify it."

"You do that. By the way, I didn't love what I had to do in there and this is separate from our other deal. You're going to owe me a favor for this one." Ruby's eyes burned with something between anger and disappointment, both directed at herself.

"Well, I'm eager to see how you cash in on that favor." Her grin unfailing she pulled her hand away from Ruby's face before snapping her fingers. Immediately Mercury got to his feet with something in his hand that he quietly passed to Cinder before sitting back down.

"I believe this is what you've been waiting for?" Cinder found amusement in the way Ruby's eyes lit up with the same unstoppable passion and hunger in her own gaze as she held up the Scroll in her hand.

"So you have it ready, that's a good start." Ruby smiled very slightly as she grabbed the folded up device from Cinder's hand.

"Come on now, aren't you curious as to why I needed the information from that poor man that you so mercilessly tortured?" Pleased and enjoying herself more than she probably should have Cinder prodded the young doctor, it was so rare for her to find a kindred spirit, she loved her interactions with Ruby Rose immensely.

"I'm not interested in what your cult is into these days." Ruby said dismissively, holding up the closed Scroll to the light, its elongated hexagonal shape made it easy to carry both when in use and when not. To anyone who didn't know better, it was the same communication device that anyone else used, but both Ruby and Cinder knew it was so much more.

"We're not a cult Ruby." She laughed, an honest and genuine laugh. There were few people in the world she felt comfortable with, and Ruby was one of them.

"Well, whatever you are, your organization has some serious pull and resources if you were able to get this to me on such short notice." The young doctor took one last long look at it before carefully placing it into her leather messenger bag.

"Hah! You're one to talk, with the power you have at your fingertips, my organization would consider you a very prominent threat if you weren't so cooperative." Cinder giggled as she shrugged. Ruby Rose was one of only two people in the entire world that Cinder feared and for good reason.

"An alliance is better for both of us than a war, I mean, look at this, you got what you wanted and I got what I wanted. I like you Cinder, let's use each other." That cunning and excitement was back in Ruby's eyes sharp with clarity and drive.

"My sentiments exactly." She couldn't agree with the doctor more. They had helped each other multiple times and it was always an interesting experience.

"Well, I need to put this into play. I'll see you later Cinder, good luck with whatever it is you have planned. Oh, and when you're done with him, bring the body to my clinic, I could use a corpse to practice on and I can get rid of the evidence in my incinerator." With a sly and playful grin Ruby turned away, walking towards the door past Thistle and a still very much shaken Blake.

"After my people verify the information, I'll be happy to oblige." The a dark and pleased grin Cinder watched the trio leave through the swinging double doors, coming in and getting a job done in less than ten minutes that Cinder herself couldn't accomplish in three days. _That woman is truly terrifying._

Ruby, Blake and Thistle walked down the long hallway back to their car, an uneasy silence stretching out between them. Thistle walked up beside the cat faunus, keeping pace with her as she looked to Blake with deep concern. She had been where Blake was, but it wasn't until longer after having known Ruby and when Thistle offered Ruby the deal, Thistle was given a pretty good idea of what kind of person she was after the doctor killed her entire former team of mercenaries.

"Hello, Roman?" Ruby smiled with dark excitement as she held her Scroll to her ear. "It's time to begin phase twenty-three, meet us at the clinic tonight. Don't worry, you'll be payed exceptionally well for this one."

* * *

It had been a quiet drive home and an even quieter wait for Roman as night fell. Blake had all but secluded herself in her room, delving into her studies though she could barely focus on a word of it as the events of the day played over and over again in her mind. Her eyes clouded with tears as she watched him suffer, heard him scream with terrifying clarity, her heart felt tight as it raced in her chest and her entire body felt flushed and hot. She couldn't help but wonder just how much that man was suffering right at that moment.

 _Even the White Fang never resorted to something so cruel. Just what is she, Ruby Rose? I guess I really don't know anything about her or what she's really capable of._ Blake gave a long, shaky sigh as she lay on her extremely comfortable bed in her tight black shorts and back tank-top, books scattered around the foot of the bed with bookmarks in various places throughout each.

"What do I do now?" She whispered to herself, trying to ignore the dull ache in her side from her now mostly healed bullet wound and the much deeper ache in her heart. _Why do I feel like this? I've only known her for a little over a month, I knew Adam way longer than that and I broke it off over something far less sadistic… but still, the thought of leaving, it's making me… sad._

"Are you thinking about leaving?" A soft and very lost voice spoke from the door.

"Ruby!" Blake shot up, her ears pricked atop her head and her heart pounding in her chest. "I- I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come in."

"It's okay, I was just watching you." Ruby sighed softly as she walked in from the threshold, her beautiful crimson nightgown fluttering as she walked up to the bed. "So… after what you saw, do you want leave?"

"I…" Blake froze as she stared up into those lonely, dull silver eyes, the heavy pain and compassion in the young doctor's voice going straight to her heart, calling out to a more tender and gentle part of her. "I honestly don't know."

"I understand. Do you mind if I lay down with you?" Her fingers lightly dragged along the soft downy blanket, resignation and sorrow emanating from every subtle movement of her body.

"Go ahead." Blake responded without even giving it a moment's hesitation or thought. Her chest felt an entirely different kind of tight as Ruby got into her bed, pressing up along her side, sharing in their mutual warmth as her eyes skimmed the open books in front of them.

"Blake… if you really want to leave, I won't make you stay. I'll forget about your debt and you can be free to- to never see us again." Those last words, Blake could tell that they were so intensely painful for Ruby to say, but the sincerity of her voice let no doubt in her mind that it was her true self shining through with pain and lament.

"I just don't know what to think anymore. You told me to trust you but then… I never thought you were capable of something like that. You didn't even hesitate to put that needle into him, you don't even seem sorry you did it now." She wanted to understand, she desperately, desperately wanted to understand why Ruby did what she did. Blake's heart cried out for something, anything to make it make sense and she knew, that in her heart of hearts… she didn't want to leave.

"I have to be honest with you Blake, because I want you to stay, because I care about you… I'm not sorry for what I did. I didn't hesitate because I didn't care. It wouldn't be the first time I've done something like that and it won't be the last. I learned a long time ago that to get what you want, you have to be willing to do absolutely anything. There's something I want, something big and precious to me, something that only I can do, and I will do whatever it takes to get that something." She burned with conviction and will, her uncompromising confidence and self assuredness overwhelmed everything else, Blake could practically feel the flames of her heart with the intensity of her will.

"And what is it that you want? I have to know, what is it that you're doing all of this for?" She felt it, for a moment, that she was standing on the precipice of something big, something that was far grander than herself, something that could move the world.

"The reason I'm doing this…" Ruby trailed off, rolling onto her side to face Blake, her glistening silver met warm amber and for a long moment, they only stared at each other. Then, a soft, broken and hopeful smile formed from Ruby's lips as she reached out, her arms surrounding Blake before pulling her into a tight, warm, loving embrace. The young doctor held the faunus close as they lay on the bed and in Ruby's tender arms, Blake's body relaxed, her chest filling with warmth as she moved in slightly closer and let her eyes flutter closer, her senses focused on the feelings of the most loving hug she'd had in very, very long time.

"I'm doing all of this… to protect the people I love." She whispered it softly into Blake's soft, fuzzy cat ear. For the two of them, everything else melted away in a sea of blissful warmth, their embrace stretching on as they lost themselves in each other, the darkness burned away with what Blake would without hesitation call… love.

"Ruby… Roman is here." Thistle stood at the door, watching Blake and Ruby hold each other, cuddling up close on the bed, so occupied with their mutual embrace that they didn't even notice her approach.

"Okay… we'll be up in a minute." Ruby sighed softly, using every ounce of willpower she had pull away from the warm body of the faunus that held her. "Blake… can I ask you something?"

"Of course." Her reply was barely audible as she looked up at Ruby, her cheeks tinted pink and a happy but confused smile on her lips.

"Can you maybe sleep with us tonight?" Ruby blushed, looking away nervously from her assistant. "If tonight is your last night here I- I want to hold you… one more time."

"I don't want to leave." Her eyes blurred as tears pooled on their amber surface, her face scrunching up as she fought against the deep and powerful urge to cry. She still didn't know what to think about everything that had happened, even up to just moments before, as Ruby held her. She didn't know what to feel about any of it… _But I've never felt like I've been truly home since I joined the White Fang. I- I believe Ruby, when she says she does what she does to protect the people she loves. Does that mean me too? Does Ruby love me? Do I love her? I don't know… but I want to find out._

"Then stay with us. This can be your home and if you want, we can be your family. I promise, if you stay, some day you'll understand exactly what I mean." Ruby smiled with the brightest, happiest, most relieved and thankful grin Blake had ever seen on the young doctor as they both sat up before she threw her arms once more around her assistant, holding her close and tight, resting her head on her shoulder as she gently rubbed her back. "I want to show you who I really am Blake… I'm not afraid of that."

"I think… I'm looking forward to that." She couldn't do anything other than hold the young girl, seeing more gentle side of her, the warm little girl with the purest heart and the most simple soul.

"We should go, I don't want to keep Roman and Neo waiting too long." She laughed softly, wiping away the tears of joy from her silver eyes.

"I'll meet you up there in a second, let me just save my place and get a little more dressed." Blake smiled softly, rubbing her eyes clear, her ears twitching happily atop her head.

"That sounds good, we'll see you up there soon then okay?" With a wink Ruby forced herself up, spinning on her heel she turned to face Thistle, beaming brightly as she ran to her friend, nearly toppling the smaller woman as she practically threw herself at her, pulling her into a tight and loving hug. "Come on! Let's get this over with and get to bed! Blake is sleeping with us tonight!"

"So I heard." Thistle chuckled, shaking her head slightly before walking off with Ruby close behind.

Blake watched the two women leave her room, going down the hall of their home towards the elevator that would bring them back up to the clinic. She couldn't feel even a trace of the unease and horror that had plagued her all day, it was all gone the instant Ruby held her. _Maybe that's the real Ruby, the warm one with more love to give than she knows what to do with…_

* * *

"Here you go, twenty-five thousand Lien." Ruby handed off the silver briefcase to roman, wearing disposable white gloves over her hands so as not to transfer any fingerprints

"Half up front and half when the job is finished. This must be a big deal to pay fifty-thousands Lien." Roman looked positively giddy at the sum of money he was getting while Neo stood with her trademark smug, uncaring grin.

"Oh, it is. Phase twenty-three has been years in the making and tonight, it all comes together" She held out the scroll she received from Cinder earlier that day along with a scrap of paper. "Plug this into their mainframe and follow those simple instructions, the program will take care of the rest."

"Got it, don't worry Red, this will be an easy job. It's not like a major pharmaceutical company headquarters has good security or anything." He laughed halfheartedly, his emerald gaze still fixed on the briefcase in his hand.

"Just be careful alright? This job is important to me but so are you and Neo, don't get caught okay?" She looked at him earnestly, her eyes brimming with worry and pleading.

"Don't worry your pretty little head Doc, we've cased the joint for months, they won't know what hit 'em." He relented, giving his friend some comfort. "We're professionals, let us worry about our part, you just be ready when you get the text."

"Oh believe me, I'll be ready, and so will all the other pieces in play." A devious and dangerous smirk to rival Cinder's pulled at her lips, her eyes sparkling with cunning and anticipation.

"Well then, I'll leave you to it. We'll be back for the rest of our pay in a few hours." With a tip of his hat Roman and Neo took their leave, Neo giving a smiling wave goodbye to her friend as they climbed up the short stairs and left the clinic.

"So what exactly are they doing?" Blake asked, now wearing gray sweatpants and fuzzy white slippers.

"You'll see soon enough." Ruby laughed, enjoying playing dark and mysterious with her new assistant, Thistle having long since been desensitized to her antics as she leaned against the wall by the stairs.

With a shrug of shoulders she pulled out her scroll, opening it up and navigating the screen until she found the number she was looking for.

 **Ring…**

 **Ring…**

"Is it time?" An unfamiliar man's voice spoke from the other side of the Scroll.

"Yes, be ready." Ruby replied cryptically before hanging up. "Okay, now to bring in the last piece."

 **Ring…**

 **Ring…**

 **Ring…**

 **Ring…**

"W-wha? Ruby is that you? Do you *Yawn* have any idea what time it is?" A sleepy woman's voice spoke over the Scroll.

"Sorry Weiss, but you're gonna love this. I'm going to send you a text with the link to a website. Log onto it through the burner Scroll I gave you and then, when I text you again, search the filename "Phase 23", it should be exactly eighty-eight megabytes. In it you'll find a sub file named "For the Princess", that's all yours, use it however you want." The excitement and energy in her voice was a stark contrast to Weiss' sleepy and slightly irritated tone.

"I don't suppose you'll tell me what's inside it will you?" Weiss already knew the answer.

"Nope!" Ruby squeaked, barely containing a giggle. "It'll be an asset to your company if you use it right, that's all I'll say."

"And what would I owe you for this?" Her tone grew playfully suspicious, Ruby had known Weiss long enough to know that she didn't have many people she could have fun and be herself with.

"You know, just your support for my inevitable world domination." Ruby snickered evilly drawing out a snort of laughter from Weiss.

"You know, I can't be certain you're joking about that." She tried to regain her composure, but Ruby could hear her fits of soft laughter over the Scroll. "Well, in any case I'll support you, I'll wait up for your text. You have a good night Ruby."

"Yeah, you too Weiss, hopefully I'll get to see you soon, it's been way too long. Oh, and don't forget to destroy that burner Scroll after you're done." She didn't think she had to remind her, but better safe than sorry considering how sleepy Weiss probably was.

"Don't worry, I will. Hope to see you soon. Good night."

"Good night Weiss…"

 **Click!**

With a bittersweet smile Ruby hung up the Scroll, her hands falling to her side. It had been a long time since she'd seen Weiss, the two of them were good friends though their lives kept them worlds apart. _I wonder how she's doing… I should give her a non business call sometime just to chat._

"Wait… was that Weiss Schnee? You have the CEO of The Schnee Dust Company on speed dial?!" Blake gaped in awe and just a little fear as Ruby turned to her with a soft and playful grin.

"Oh Blake, you must be wondering what kind of world you've gotten yourself into." The young doctor walked up to her assistant, running her fingers through the faunus' soft black hair. "Well, I'll tell you, it's a very dangerous world, a world in which the strong consume the weak and cunning is the weapon of the mighty. A world in which hesitation gets you killed and will and power are stronger than destiny. It's a terrifying world Blake, but don't be afraid, because I can be a terrifying person."


	5. Morning

Warmth… that's the first thing, the very first thing she could perceive as she was called from the sweet, peaceful embrace of sleep. Then she felt the light, warm pressure against her side and something soft tickling her cheek. Her cat ears twitched in protest as she tried to go back to sleep, but as she was lulled further from unconsciousness, she could feel something new, the warmth was all on one side of her body with a gentle pressure against her neck, a steady and soft rocking moving her body ever so slightly in a soothing rhythm.

Finally, her amber eyes fluttered open, slowly and blearily Blake came to alertness, however, as she tried to move she found herself unable to. At first confused she slowly looked over to her side and then, an amused and loving smile formed from her lips. A young woman with long black, red tipped hair lay on her side, her body pressed up against Blake's, one arm arm wrapped around the faunus as she pressed her cheek against her neck, sharing every bit of warmth she could with her friend as she snored softly from her sleep.

Very very slowly and carefully Blake moved, trying to get a little more comfortable without losing an inch of contact with the doctor's soft, smooth skin, readjusting herself ever so slightly, only moving carefully in short bursts so as not to disturb Ruby. With very slow and deliberate movements she brushed aside the stray hairs that tickled her cheeks and shifted herself beneath Ruby, the doctor's leg resting on top of her own, maximizing contact with the faunus. Blake couldn't be sure if Ruby had done this in her sleep or if she intentionally got into this position with her.

"Hrmmm… Blake…" A soft, adorable sleepy whine escaped Ruby's lips as she snuggled up closer to her assistant, squeezing her tighter before letting out a long and very content sigh, smiling warmly while her body relaxed.

 _I guess I'm stuck here. Oh well… I've been less comfortable._ Blake shrugged with a warm smile, giving into her unconscious boss' will as she moved up a little closer to her… only to find another arm draped over her belly, its small hand held softly in Ruby's. Tilting her head slightly she focused in on the sounds of breathing from the large, soft bed she had fallen asleep in at Ruby's request. She could feel the warm, moist air leaving Ruby's lips, softly blowing against her neck with each rise and fall of her chest, but she could also hear a more alert, more decisive breathing from very near to them.

"Thistle?" Blake whispered softly into the relative darkness, her ear twitching as she heard a small body shifting from behind Ruby.

"Yeah?" Thistle responded, her words strained by embarrassment as she moved her fingers in Ruby's hand, brushing them against Blake's firm, toned belly.

"Good morning." Giving a stifled giggle so as not to stir the young woman sleeping between them Blake couldn't help but feel amused by not only Thistle's situation but also her own.

 _This is my life now… it's hard to believe. Not even two months ago I was running for my life from an organization that, for the longest time, was the only home and the only family I've had. Then… I almost died. I was shot while fleeing from the White Fang and I remember, the last thing I thought was that I didn't want it to end that way. What had my life been for? Fighting for a corrupt and distorted cause? Harming innocent people for some twisted vision? I was going to die, just like that, and my life would have meant nothing. I was going to die, alone and afraid in a dirty alley. Then… she found me._ Blake closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath of the scent of the young woman's hair that smelled of coconut and honey as she imbibed her warmth and focused on every aspect of her touch.

 _Ruby found me and, it's like I got a second chance. She saved my life, she's a doctor, she helps people, I've seen her do it for me and I know she did the same for Thistle. I feel like a path has been opened up to me, a way out, a way to do something good, something meaningful. I feel… I feel at home, here, with Ruby and Thistle, just like this. I'm not uncomfortable, even with this, right now. I'm warm and I feel something that I've never really felt in a long time; I feel safe, and I feel loved. It's not a romantic love, I don't think, but it's a deep caring from Ruby and even Thistle. I think I'm starting to understand what Yang and Cinder meant when they said that I was special to Ruby._ Like a stone in frigid water, her heart rapidly sank as the events of the previous day played again in her mind.

 _Then, she did that. She tortured a man, knowing that people would die, she isn't remorseful or even losing sleep over it. Even the White Fang never did something so horrible. I can still see the look in his eyes, he knew he was going to die, he was in so much pain and fear and Ruby, she knew exactly what was going to happen to him. She and Cinder, they're cut from the same cloth, I can see it in their eyes, the single minded desire, the will to do anything to get what they want, no matter the suffering they cause. They're not like Adam, they're far more dangerous…_ There it was again, that tightness, that panic and fear. The idea that she had walked away from the White Fang only to end up literally in the bed of someone so much worse made her skin crawl and her stomach turn.

Even then… she could feel slender but deceptively strong arms holding her close. Ruby's body wrapped around Blake, keeping her in a sweet and loving embrace that exuded nothing but warmth and caring and the deepest, most innocent trust. With a soft hum Ruby buried her face in Blake's neck, her head resting atop the faunus' long black, silky hair. Deep in her heart, Blake felt something she didn't expect with the turmoil in her mind as Ruby held her close… _I feel safe._

 _This is my life now, me, Ruby and Thistle. Ruby says she wants me to think of them as family. Ruby, I think she loves me, truly loves me, maybe not romantically but, somehow, after only a little over a month, Ruby has made room for me in her heart and I can tell that's a place not many are allowed into. She trusts me, I don't know where that comes from, I think she loves me and I don't understand that at all, how can she treat me like this? We barely know each other. Even so, she's sound asleep, holding me now and I like how it feels. No one's held me since I left my parents but here she is, just keeping me close and warm. It feels nice._ That was it, it was pure and simple and so easy, it felt nice, being home, being loved, being warm and safe. Things she had long since tossed aside, once for the cause she fought so hard for, and once more to protect her own heart. Now though, Ruby was like a force of nature, ripping straight through the walls around her heart and planting herself there without question or hesitation.

 _And now that she's there, can I really just leave? Can I stay? Do I want to stay? What is she doing all of this for? What's her goal? What are the ends that she feels justify the means? Adam felt the same way, I'm sure Cinder does too. What makes Ruby different from them? I only know that Adam… he was never this warm._ Again, a smile had formed from her lips before she even realized it and without meaning to, she took another deep breath of the young woman's scent. It was comforting, but her heart was still torn. _I don't think I want to leave… but I don't like that darker Ruby._

"Do I smell good?" A soft, silvery voice giggled softly beneath her.

"Good you're finally up. I'm taking my arm back now." Thistle sighed with relief as she pulled her hand back from Ruby's, the absence of her touch left an uncomfortable coolness in its wake against the faunus' belly.

"But Thistle you're warm!" Ruby whined, making an adorable pouty face while she held Blake tighter and closer, huffing in mock resentment as she buried her face in Blake's neck and hair to hide from her bodyguard.

"Yeah well it's time to get up." Thistle sighed in annoyance as she sat up, stretching away her stiffness with a great yawn.

"No!" She responded instant, clinging tighter to Blake, her eyes shut and never noticing the light blush tinting her cheeks.

"Ruby…" Thistle said her name with a warning tone with her arms folded over her chest, but her boss was having none of it.

"Blake! Tell Thistle to stop being mean! I don't wanna get up!" With that, Ruby grabbed the covers and pulled them up quickly over her and Blake's heads, holding it down with all her strength as she pulled her face from the faunus' neck, resting her head on her shoulder with a playful smile. "She'll never find us in here."

"Umm…" She didn't know what to say, her mind was in a pleasant daze she she looked into the sparkling silver eyes, even in the darkness of the room, under the covers, they still shone dazzlingly, almost as much as her smile.

"Ruby, you have a busy day today and if we don't hurry we won't get breakfast. Now, get… up!" Thistle's powerful, dominating strength ripped the blanket from Ruby's hand, letting cool air wash over them as it was flung back.

"You're so mean Thistle!" Ruby cried, sounding very nearly like she was about to cry as she wrapped both arms around her very warm and compliant assistant. "Blake tell Thistle we want to cuddle more!"

"Is she always like this?" Blake blinked in no small amount of surprise and confusion looking up to Thistle who was shaking her head in resigned aggravation.

"Every single morning." Thistle admitted with a shrug. "She is not a morning person, you're going to have to deal with this a lot being her new assistant, especially if sleeping with us is going to be a regular thing. Rule number one; don't let her cute her way into five more minutes, it'll never end, trust me, I've been there."

"Don't listen to her Blake! She's mean and hates warmth and comfortable and sleep!" She shouted in protest, desperately trying to keep Blake on her side.

"We probably should get up." Much to Ruby's lament, Blake sided with the enemy and sat up, Ruby sliding off of her, grumbling incoherently as she fell to the bed.

"Blake I trusted you!" Ruby sniffled, stealthily reaching for the blanket but in the darkness, Blake's night vision gave her the advantage and with a swift movement she pulled the covers all the way off of the very unhappy girl, leaving her whimpering as she curled into a ball.

"I'll get the light." Thistle laughed halfheartedly as she got up from the bed, walking over to the wall and touching a flat white panel close to the bed. Blake recoiled as the soft white light bathed the room, stinging her sensitive amber eyes. The three women were all in their sleep wear, Thistle sleeping in her underwear, Ruby sleeping in a luxurious white nightgown and Blake wearing a black tanktop and shorts.

"Alright boss, come on, it's time for breakfast." Thistle wore an amused smile as she put her arms under Ruby and with surprising ease, lifted the taller woman, holding her up against her chest bridal style before carrying her towards the door. "Blake, she's going to need her coffee, the machine is set on a timer, it's already made just add cream and five sugars to it, that's the way she likes it."

"Got it." With an understanding nod Blake jumped up, walking ahead of the bodyguard and hitting but button on the wall, making the opaque glass door retract into the wall. Instantly Blake could smell the scent of very high quality coffee permeating through the air. As Thistle made her way past, Blake grabbed a thick book off of the nightstand beside Ruby and Thistle's bed.

Blake walked down the polished and artfully stained concrete hall that held the three bedrooms of their home. This was easily the most beautiful and lavish home Blake had ever lived in, even more than the home she had with her parents before she left them for the White Fang. It still blew her mind, coming from bleeding to death in an alley to waking up in such a place every morning with people that loved her.

"Cream and five sugars…" Blake muttered to herself as she entered the kitchen, its floor covered with black and white tile and the walls covered with dark red backsplash, and of course, all the appliances were of the highest quality. Blake opened the cabinet there the coffee mugs were and took out Ruby's favorite, white with a rose Emblem on it, apparently something she got from someone back in med school. She could only imagine it came from the Ruby's lost love.

 _It's unsettling how quickly I came to feel comfortable here. I lived in the clinic upstairs for over a month, I've only been living down here for a week. Even so, Ruby and Thistle have made me feel nothing but at home… at least until yesterday._ A subdued sigh escaped her lips as as scoop in the last small spoonful of sugar into the coffee before carefully grabbing it by the handle and slowly turning around.

Ruby and Thistle sat at the small, square wooden dining table just outside the kitchen beside her boss while Ruby lay with her head down on her arms, practically deflated on the table. Blake placed the mug down in front of the young doctor, close enough to grab but far enough that she wouldn't accidentally knock it over before the faunus sat down across from her.

"Thanks Blake…" Ruby groaned as she lifted her head up looking like she hadn't slept well in a month. She forced herself to sit up, holding one hand on the warm mug while the other held its handle as she brought it up to her lips, perking up after only a single sip.

"I'll get breakfast started." Blake turned around with a half smile on her lips, at once content at the satisfied look on Ruby's face as she sipped her hot drink and growing increasingly unsettled as the events of the previous day replayed over and over in her mind.

"Wait," Ruby said, stopping her assistant, pausing for another sip before continuing. "I'll make breakfast, you two relax."

"You? Make breakfast?" Thistle gaped, her jaw hanging open and her eyebrows raised in disbelief. "Can you even cook?"

"Of course I can cook!" With an indignant huff and a determined look in her eyes Ruby stood up from the table and walked towards the kitchen. "I'm not helpless you know? I was able to do things before I had you doing all the things."

"It's just that, in the two years I've been working for you, I've never seen you cook." Blake wasn't sure which was more surprising; That Ruby had gone two years without cooking or that Thistle knew how to cook.

"Yeah well, I just feel like it alright. You both just relax… you've earned it." With those last few words her voice trailed off, growing softer and much, much sadder. As Blake stared at Ruby's back she didn't notice that Thistle wasn't staring at her boss but rather, her soft lavender gaze was stuck knowingly on the young faunus woman, glistening with just the smallest hint of pain.

With a concerned but resigned shrug Blake turned around and walked to the table, giving one last worried look to her boss before sitting down across from where Ruby sat. Despite her worries she grabbed her book and cracked it open to the place where she left off. It was far from what she'd normally read but after all, this wasn't pleasure reading, this was her studying to be everything Ruby needed her to be. _But… to what end?_

 _Thistle likes juice and Blake likes Tea, we've got a busy day so I'll make sure we start our morning off right with a good breakfast together._ With a determined smile and fire in her eyes Ruby filled the tea kettle with water before placing it down on the back burner. Then she pulled out two pans from the cabinet over the stove. Ruby flicked on the burners beneath the pan and kettle, igniting them into hot blue flames before spinning on her heel and walking towards the fridge.

Humming a nameless tune happily to herself she grabbed bacon, eggs and orange juice before closing the stainless steel fridge and putting down the food onto the counter. Then she moved on to a breadbox, pulling out a loaf of white sandwich bread and grabbing three cups from the shelf above it. It had been a while since she cooked but as she thought about Thistle and Blake enjoying her food her heart filled with warm and excitement, bringing a very happy and eager smile to her lips.

"Here you go Thistle," Ruby beamed placing a tall glass of orange juice on the table before her bodyguard and then turning to her assistant. "Your tea will be a little bit longer, I'll bring it over as soon as it's ready."

"Thank you but, are you sure you don't want any help?" Her cat ears flicked atop her head as she tilted it slightly, her big amber eyes looking into Ruby's shining silver.

"Nah, I'm fine don't worry! I'll have everything done soon!" With a pump of her fist she made her way to the kitchen once more.

Blake could hear the sound of food sizzling on the stove as the delicious smell of meat filled the air making her mouth water. Ruby hummed as she cooked, Blake could just imagine the young doctor pouring her love into her work like she did with medicine, making sure it was perfect, especially for the people she cared about. Still, Blake couldn't escape the reality of why she was suddenly doing this. _She's afraid I'll leave. She's afraid of what I think of her now after what I saw her do. Does she really think breakfast will just make it all go away? She tortured someone, she knows they're going to be killed, she even asked for their body afterwards. Who knows what else she's done or what else she's capable of? A little breakfast isn't going to make me more comfortable with that._

"Blake…" Thistle whispered quietly enough so that Ruby couldn't hear over the sound of her cooking.

"Hmm? Oh, what's up Thistle?" Blake blinked, trying to pull her mind from her thoughts and much more difficultly, her feelings.

"Ruby's worried." Her voice was calm but her soft purple eyes burned and flickered with very powerful and passionate feelings from anger to worry to compassion. "She's worried you're going to leave after what you saw yesterday."

"Yeah… I know." Her amber gaze softened with guilt, sadness and disgust as she looked away from Thistle, her heart heavy and her mind clouded with doubt.

"She cares about you… you should stay." The slight pause, the hesitation, the subtle stress in her words, Blake's cat ears could pick up all of it. Thistle wasn't thrilled about what she was saying, Blake could only imagine that the bodyguard's feelings for the doctor ran deeper than Ruby likely knew.

"I don't know what I'm going to do…" She admitted so softly she couldn't be sure Thistle could hear her… _I don't even know if I want Thistle to hear. I feel like, if I left, it would hurt Ruby a lot. I don't know if I'm ready for that, I don't know if leaving her is the right thing to do._

"She's not a monster… I promise." Thistle's tone was dark and her eyes piercing as she stared right into Blake's with an intense and powerful certainty. "If you stay with us, you'll see the real her."

"I-"

"It's done!" Ruby hummed in a silvery, singsong voice as she turned off the fire, oblivious to the interaction her employees had just had behind her back. With the brightest, warmest smile on her face Ruby brought their plates over, placing them carefully down in front of her family.

"This looks really good Ruby." Blake said as she took in the delicious aroma. On her plate was two slices of pan toasted bread with holes cut in the middle and eggs cooked into the hole, an idea Blake had never seen before but was very eager to try. She was also given five strips of bacon and a banana and yogurt parfait on the side.

"Wow, I guess you really do know what you're doing." Thistle looked more than a little stunned, her plate was much like Blake's but rather than a parfait she had another piece of toast covered in almond butter on one side.

"Thanks! Blake, you don't eat enough fruit so I figured I'd give you something sweet that will help round out your diet, you have to stay healthy you know! Thistle, you work out a lot so I figured you'd like the extra protein and carbs as well as getting a good dose of vitamin E that you don't get enough of." She looked so proud of herself and absolutely delighted at that her breakfast was well received. _I'll have to start cooking for them more often._

"Well, go ahead and eat, I'll pour your drinks!" With a bounce in her step Ruby made her way to the counter and stove, grabbing the tea kettle off of the burner and pouring the piping hot water into the fine teacup, soaking the silk wrapped leaves and extracting their essence, quickly drawing out the dark color into the water. _And Blake likes honey in hers, not too much but enough._

"This is really good!" Blake cooed in delight as she ate the strange toast with the egg at its center, the inner part of the yolk still liquid which is how she liked her eggs anyway. It tasted wonderful, and the butter that it was cooked it gave the whole thing a rich flavor that blended it all together perfectly.

"I'm so glad! I used to have those all the time back pre-med but I kinda just stopped having time to cook all that much in med school, by the time I got out I didn't really make them anymore, its been years, glad I still know how to make them!" She was glowing with happiness and glee at the compliment as she set down the steaming cup of tea before returning to grab her own plate off the counter before sitting back down, taking her place across from Blake and beside Thistle.

"Let's eat!" Ruby declared enthusiastically despite the fact that her family had started eating without her as she instructed. "We've got a busy day today, we'll be closing the clinic while we're out but we should be back before it gets dark so we'll open back up and resume business as usual."

"What are we doing today?" Blake asked as she licked up a little egg yolk that had run down her chin, catching it before it flowed too far for her tongue to reach.

"Phase Twenty-four." And just like that… there she was again. Blake's heart felt tight as she looked into those cunning and hungry silver eyes, the doctor's voice becoming softer but darker sending chills down Blake's spine as memories of the previous day flashed through her mind.

"We're going to see some very powerful people so Blake, I bought you some nice clothes, I hope you like them." Ruby smiled gently before turning to Thistle with narrowed, accusing eyes. "Thistle, wear something nice for once."

"Yeah yeah, I'll play dress up." She sighed, very blatantly not excited about the prospect.

"Will… will it be anything like yesterday?" She was scared. Her heart was tight with fear and stomach felt constricted with nausea as she remembered the look in that man's eyes. They both knew he was going to die, they both knew he was going to suffer. Blake held herself, her head low and her eyes down, unable to bear to look at either Thistle or especially Ruby.

"No… it's nothing like that this time." She shook her head, reaching across the table and and holding Blake's arm in a gentle, comforting grasp.

"I want you with me Blake, I want you to see why I do the things I do. You'll see the result of Phase Twenty-three today and then, I hope you'll understand just why a lot of things had to be done." The darkness in her eyes turned to worry while her voice was tight with fragile hope.

"Blake, after today, there's a lot you're going to want to know. Yang will be here in a week and then, once you see her, I'll explain the reason why I do the things I do… even the terrible, violent and cruel things."


	6. The Will That Moves The World

"Conference Room A ma'am." A receptionist in a gray and white uniform smiled brightly up as she handed back the company identification card to its owner.

"Thank you." Ruby smiled suavely and graciously as she took back the plastic card from the young woman before turning around, her untied hair flowing behind her down to her mid back with beautiful crimson tinting their tips. With a subtle jerk of her head she instructed her employees to follow her towards the elevator.

The three women looked very different from their usual attire and in Thistle's case, very far from what she would consider comfortable. The young doctor was out of her custom lab coat and into a very expensive designer dress, strapless and hanging from her chest the burgundy dress flowed down to her knees with top quality thin leather belt around her waist. Blake wore something more reserved, a black pantsuit with red heels and was carrying a stack of files in her arms. Thistle however, wore a men's suit with a tie that flowed in a gradient from light purple to ruby red, insisting that men's attire was slightly more practical in a fight than the alternatives.

Blake and Thistle both could feel the excitement and anticipation emanating off of Ruby, her sly and cunning, nearly predatory grin growing as they stepped into the elevator. She stood looking ever forward as though staring into the future that stretched out before her, all part of a grand master plan that none but her were fully aware of. Thistle Stood by Ruby's side with her arms behind her back, her eyes alert, the soft purple sharp and intense as she protected her boss while Blake pressed the button before taking up Ruby's right side.

"I want you two to be on your best behavior in there… Thistle." Ruby's smirk softened with a playful brightness but her bodyguard stood all but stoic beside her.

"I won't make a scene, you really think I'd do that?" The small bodyguard sighed shaking her head ever so slightly.

"Well…" With a subdued smile Blake chimed in, the unexpected interjection catching both her friends off guard as they turned to look at her with surprised expressions… before Ruby burst out laughing.

"Blake! I didn't know you had it in you!" Ruby rapidly spat out in between fits of breathless chortling. "Even Blake knows you too well Thistle!"

"Am I gonna have to take this shit from both of you now?" The small redhead sighed in resignation. _Well, Blake's getting comfortable enough with us to joke around… that's a good sign. I'd hate to think what would happen to Ruby if she left._

"In all seriousness though, things may get… unruly in there. I don't want either of you making a move until I say so. Understand?" She forced away her laugh, looking back and forth to her employees with a serious look in her eyes.

"Yeah yeah, I'll behave." Thistle didn't like the sound of having to sit back while there was a chance Ruby could get hurt but if that's what she ordered that's what was going to happen.

"I understand." Blake nodded, her amber eyes glinting with worry for a brief moment before she reigned her feelings in. _If there's anyone in the world who can handle themselves it's Ruby. I feel worse for anyone that tries to do her harm._

"Good… because we're here." The doctor's smug, calm and predatory grin returned as the elevator came to a stop.

 **Ding!**

The doors slid open and Ruby stepped out with her entourage in toe, her heels clicking against the immaculate tile floors in time with Blake's behind her. The trio walked with purpose down the hall, Ruby with a subtle swagger in her step as though she owned the place, but as far as Blake knew, herself and Thistle were both in the dark about what was going on. _I guess we'll find out soon enough._

"Alright, let's begin." A soft but chilling laugh escaped Ruby's lips as she stopped in front of a wooden door, running her fingers through her silky soft hair as she forced herself into a calm demeanor. "Watch carefully Blake, this is what it's all about."

"Okay." She agreed without hesitation but in her heart she felt a sickening dread, those were almost the same words Ruby used when she told her to watch her torture a man. _But she said it wouldn't be like that this time. Still… can I trust her?_

"It's time." With a steady release of air through her nose Ruby turned the handle and pushed the door open, cool air conditioned air flowing from the conference room even more than the hallways as they stepped inside.

"Miss Rose I assume? It's good to finally put a face to the name." An older man with gray hair and olive eyes stood to greet them from his seat closest to the door.

"Yes, normally I don't attend these meetings in person but the situation is quite precarious so it warranted my personal attention." With a completely genuine and amiable smile Ruby proceeded to the table filled with almost entirely wealthy human men dressed in designer suits, over a dozen of them, leaving only a single seat midway through the table available to her.

"And who might your associates be?" A younger man at the head of the table, sitting with a posture of authority and importance stared at Ruby and her employees with displeased piercing blue eyes, his hands folded under his chin.

"This is my assistant Blake and my head of personal security Thistle. They go wherever I go. I assure you Mr. Slate that they will be no trouble here." Dipping her head respectfully at the man Ruby tried to put his mind at ease before looking back up at the other men around the table with her devious smile returning to her lips.

"Let's get into this shall we gentlemen?" Ruby looked back up at Blake and with a minute nod she gestured to her assistant, Blake instantly understanding what her boss wanted as she began walking around the room, placing down her blue covered files.

"What is this?" Slate glared at her, annoyance more than apparent in his eyes and tone. The man was intense, someone powerful and commanding… but all it took was one look into his eyes for Blake to know that he was nothing like Ruby, no match for her at all.

"I'm glad you asked Rexxie." She gave the warmest, most cheerful smile, even as anger flashed through the man's expression. "As we're all aware, there was a leak of company secrets last night, very sensitive and damaging information was leaked onto the net and our competitors wasted no time in pillaging our hard earned patents. As a result even as of this morning our stocks are plummeting and confidence is at a decades long low, investors are nervous and are selling off their stocks as in a self feeding cycle and causing us to rapidly hemorrhage market shares that our competition is siphoning away. This is only day one, we'll need something massive to turn it around… and that is what I have to offer you."

"And what exactly is it that you're offering Doctor Rose? Who do you think you are, presenting this without prior approval from-"

"It's a fifty billion Lien contract from the Atlesian military." The room fell dead silent, even Rexxie Slate couldn't keep his composure at the ungodly numbers that the doctor had so casually thrown around. Jaws dropped, even Blake and Thistle looked to her in awe and within Blake's amber eyes… a hint of fear glistened.

"D-did you just say fifty billion?" The man that had greeted them at the door asked in utter disbelief as he opened up the file passed around by Blake.

"I did indeed. You see, I was personally able to secure this contract from General Ironwood himself, he and I have a history and he knows a good deal when he sees it. However, there is one catch…" She couldn't help it, her dark and predatory grin on her face grew and her silver eyes were narrowed like a beast that had been stalking its prey was about to pounce.

"And what might that be?" Slate glared at her, his hands folded and covering his mouth but he couldn't hide it… his hands were trembling. Blake could only guess that he was beginning to realize that he was the prey at that exact moment.

"The General made this contract not with Slate Corporation but with me, I'm free to take this deal anywhere I see fit. As I am a shareholder in this company at forty-four percent stake share, I would like to see the company I've invested so much money in return to power, with this, Slate could remain in its place as the second most profitable pharmaceutical company in Remnant. However, Rexxie Slate must be removed as CEO effective immediately." Ruby was dominating, all ear and eyes trained on her but her confidence never wavering even for a moment as she smiled calmly but calculatingly through the shock that filled the room.

"You can't be serious!" Rexxie shot up, slamming his hand on the long glass table, baring his teeth at the young woman, his blue eyes burning with rage as he looked around the room… and then his raged snuffed out with fear as he saw the contemplating looks on the other shareholders faces.

"Oh but I am." The doctor turned to him, her expression cooling with a frigid anger and deadly conviction. "It was under your watch that this blunder happened, however the information was leaked, you're the one responsible. According to my own sources, Sandalwood Pharmaceuticals was already poised and ready to capitalize on the leak and have begun working to profit off of our patents. If they create a cheaper generic alternative to our most profitable vaccine we can say goodbye to our place in the top two, hell, we may be ruined if the other thing I'm hearing is correct."

"And what is it that you are hearing Doctor? Is this crypticism really necessary?" Slate was barely able to restrain himself and it was putting Thistle on edge, the small woman stepped between Ruby and the man, her soft lavender eyes glaring into him with dangerous protectiveness.

"Apparently, along with leaking many of our patents and trade secrets there was a document mixed in with the file that detailed your engagements with the former head of the Schnee Dust Company Jacques Schnee and his unscrupulous dealings and affiliations. The current head of the SDC Weiss Schnee is preparing to make a public statement and may seek legal actions based off the rather incriminating information. This will ruin Slate Corp, after Weiss Schnee took over from her father, she dug out his skeletons and brought them to light, the man was radioactive. We will be destroyed by this unless we get ahead of by preemptively removing Mr. Slate." Not even for an instant… did her eyes waver from his.

"Myself, the company as a whole and a fifty-billion Lien contract that will save us from his failure… or him. It's your choice. I'm putting it to an official vote. All those in favor of the immediate dismissal of Rexxie Slate, say I." Ruby stood up, her silver eyes burning into each and every shareholder as she loomed over them.

Not a single vote abstained. It was unanimous… Rexxie Slate was dethroned.

"You can't do this!" He shouted, spit flying from his lips as he marched over to Ruby who merely stood grinning smugly in front of him. "I built this company! It's mine! My name! This place is nothing without me! You're all nothing without me!"

"Actually, I believe that, without you in the mix, I'm the largest shareholder in this company. As per Slate Corp policy, that makes me interim CEO. I'm afraid the only one who is nothing here is you." Ruby Rose had won, coming in like a force of nature, dominating, unstoppable and uncompromising. It was a sight to behold, a spectacle Blake watched in awe.

"You bitch!" He lost it, the man had lost everything he had ever built. With his rage consuming him he reared his fist back, ready to punch her square in the face.

"Thistle… now." Calmly and with a same easy, confident smile she ordered her bodyguard into action. Thistle jumped in between them, catching the much larger man's fist as though it were nothing before knocking out his legs and forcing him to the ground and twisting his arm behind him while she locked his neck within her slender but immensely powerful arms.

"That will be quite enough from you Mr. Slate." Ruby squatted down, bringing her lips up to his ears. "You've lost."

"Damn it! Let me go! You did this! You did this! It was all her! Can't you see!?" He flailed futilely, Thistle was far, far too strong for him to even budge an inch.

"This is just sad. Blake, be a dear and call security please." Ruby shook her head in disappointment at the man's actions.

"Yes Ma'am." Blake nodded, walking quickly over to the communicator in the wall, looking at the numbers pasted next to it before dialing in security and telling them exactly what was going on.

"While my assistant is taking care of that and my bodyguard has Mr. Slate restrained, I feel we should move on to the last order of business before we adjourn this meeting." Ruby looked calmly to the group of men, all looking fearfully at their new CEO, their panic and adrenaline up with the insignificant action. These were weak men… _But useful for my needs at the moment._

"W-what might that be?" The man that greeted them looked fretfully from the heads of Thistle and Slate to Ruby's chilling silver eyes.

"We must face the facts that this leak was likely the result of corporate espionage. Sandalwood Pharmaceuticals moved far too quickly for it to be simple luck. I put forward that we buy the company, merge it with our own and take on their name before Slate's toxicity poisons this company." Ruby put her hands down on the table and grinned at them, every individual person at the table shrinking before her terrifying gaze. "All in favor?"

Once again, it was unanimous.

The meeting adjourned and Mr. Slate was carried out by security with his notice of termination. Ruby walked out as quickly as she had come in, leaving a path of chaotic and violent change in her wake. She was now one of the most powerful women in business second only to Weiss Schnee herself.

"That was impressive… and terrifying." Blake admitted as they stepped into their car, closing the doors behind them, Thistle very aggressively and unabashedly stripping, knowing the heavily tinted windows would give her privacy from the outside while not caring in the slightest what her friends saw as she made herself comfortable.

"It was exciting right!?" Ruby beamed, her eyes sparkling with life and energy, thrill emanating off her her as she turned in the front seat to face them.

"Yeah, it was." The faunus couldn't help but smile at Ruby's jubilation. "Are you sure Sandalwood will sell though? I mean, a legal battle doesn't seem as bad as being swallowed up."

"Oh, I think they'll sell." Ruby's devious and darkly playful smirk returned as she pulled out her scroll, navigating through the menu before putting it to her ear. "After all… I am their CEO."


	7. Past, Present and Future: Part 1

"Okay Blake, watch carefully." Ruby looked to her faunus associate with a warm smile before turning back to a young man sitting on an exam bed. The boy was tin and tanned from long exposure in the sun and his clothes were worn and tattered. He was a walk in to the clinic on referral apparently.

"Okay, so you inject that under his skin?" Blake blinked as she looked down at his arm hovering just above which was a needle held in Ruby's gloved hands.

"That's right." The doctor gave a firm nod before pressing the needle into his arm, injecting its contents just beneath the man's skin before very quickly covering it with a sterile bandage. "Come back in one week, if you've been infected with TB we'll know in a few days. It's important that you don't itch it okay?"

"Yeah, thanks Doc, I got it, no scratching." He nodded, looking down at the site of the injection. "I really appreciate what you're doing, knowing I can't pay you right now."

"Think nothing of it, your work required you to get this done since you're just coming out of a homeless shelter. You can't get blood from a stone, once you're back on your feet and have your life settled, I may come to you for a favor in return, then we'll call it even." Ruby gave him a smiling wink as she discarded the spent needle.

"Will do Doc and thank you, between the physical and this thing in my arm, the recommendations you've written for me and pulling whatever magic strings you pulled to get me that interview, what you've done means a lot." The young man extended his hand out, his face stoic but grateful.

"This is a big deal for you, the warehouse you'll be working for pays really well. You stay clean this time, you work hard and you'll make a great life for yourself. I have no doubt about that." With a softer, warmer smile she shook his hand, never once breaking contact with his dark brown eyes. "Good luck."

"I'll make you proud Doc Rose." With one last firm shake of his hand on hers he parted from Ruby, grabbing his worn out jacket before turning to the door to leave the exam room.

"Oh I have no doubt about that either." There it was, that devious, smug grin, that smirk that was slowly conquering the world. However, as Blake looked from the man's eyes to Ruby's, she saw in those shining silvers that the grin which was normally dark and frightening held an entirely different essence. That smile was entirely for the young man, excitement at the life he could build with his own hands and at the strength it took to pull himself up from a low point. She admired him.

"See ya later and thanks again." Ruby watched with pride as he left the door with a strength and conviction in his step, the clarity that came with seizing your own future.

"He seems happy." She didn't even mean to mutter those words out loud but she didn't really care, Blake just smiled fondly at the door the man had left from, feeling a warmth of having done something good filling her chest.

"He's got a long road ahead of him but he'll be alright, he's serious this time." With a satisfied sigh she slid her hands into her lab coats pockets, turning to Blake, her assistant still looking happily at the door. She knew the look in those amber eyes, she was proud of the work she had done. _It's a special thing, knowing that you've made someone's life better. I think she's coming to understand just what we're really about._

"You did good today, you know?" Ruby nudged her assistant with her shoulder, snapping her out of her happy stupor.

"I- I didn't do much." A blush… she blushed, looking shyly away from Ruby who merely gawked at her with wide eyes, her brain screeching to a halt as she stared at her now rosy cheeks.

"You did though!" Ruby blurted out in a desperate attempt to get her mind running again. "I mean, you've been so devoted to studying and you're learning incredibly fast. You're so smart and dedicated, you have a really bright future in this if you chose to stay."

"Ruby…" Blake's eyes shifted from embarassed to surprised to dejected and guilt in a matter of seconds before her gaze fell from the doctor. She didn't need to see to know the look Ruby's eyes held; desperate, pleading and fearfully hopeful. All of which felt like they would tear Blake's already conflicted heart to pieces.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't be pushing you. I just really see so much potential in you and you have such a strong desire to do good. I know you've seen a lot of the harm we can do and I'm sorry you got such a strong taste of it so early but you've also seen that we really do help people!" Ruby's voice was strained, her heart opening up, just a crack, letting her true feelings show as she fought against the tears that clouded her eyes and the fear that strangled her heart.

"There are things I need to do, good things, but to do them, I need to do a lot of bad, people will get hurt along the way but I think in time, you'll see that it was all worth it, all for something precious and so hard to grasp." A gentle touch, a soft warm hand enclosing around Blake's, lifting it up and cradling it in its warmth stole Blake's heart from the storm that raged within it, finally bringing her eyes up to meet Ruby's once again.

"There's darkness all around us… and I've invited it in. I'm stronger there, in the darkness I can do something that I've been told for my entire life is impossible. I want you to stay and see a miracle happen Blake." Tenderly and lovingly Ruby stroked Blake's hand with her fingertips, looking up with hope into the faunus' eyes. "I want you by my side."

"I don't know if I can stay…" She said that but… she couldn't bring herself to break from the warm and loving touch. "I want to believe that you're not really the person I saw in that room, that you were just doing what you had to do. I just- I just think that you enjoy having this life, I think you're intoxicated by the power you have. I think you're walking down a dark path and I don't feel right following you… it can't be right."

"You keep saying right and wrong… but what it is that you really want Blake?" In her hand she could feel Blake flinch at her question, recoiling from the impact of the doctor's words as her eyes grew wide.

"Do you want what's right… or do you want to be happy?" Slowly and reluctantly Ruby pulled one hand from Blake's, leaving her other hand holding hers tight as she reached up, delicately brushing aside loose strands of hair as she caressed the faunus' soft, hot cheek. "There's nothing wrong with choosing what makes you happy, Blake. You've had a rough life, it's all over your face. You've fought for what you believed in, now I think you deserve what you truly want, whatever that may be."

"Come on, let's go take a break, you don't have to answer it now but I hope you choose what you want… and I hope what you really want is to stay with us." It took every ounce of strength Ruby had to force herself to pull away from Blake's silky soft hand, her fingers lingering for every millimeter they could get until cool air replaced the feeling of warm skin… and her hands fell back weakly to her side. She couldn't bare to look at the faunus for another moment and, without waiting for a response, she walked out the door, leaving Blake behind. Concealed by the opaque glass door between them, Ruby took a long, shaky breath before wiping the tears from her eyes.

 _She'll stay… won't she?_ Gritting her teeth and giving a vigorous shake to her head Ruby forced herself back into her calm, cold composure, stepping forward just as Blake carefully opened to door… but Ruby couldn't bear to look back at her.

"You look like a mess Red." A familiar voice spoke with an amused tone in his voice, stealing both Ruby and Blake's attention as they looked up to a man with orange hair and emerald green eyes, a cane in one hand and his other fixed firmly around the neck of glass bottle wearing a smile almost as cocksure as the one wore by his ice cream themed companion. "You should be celebrating, good thing I decided to drop by with some very, very nice champagne."

"Roman, Neo, it's good to see you." In an instant, in the presence of company, Ruby sealed up with small part of her heart she had opened for Blake with layers of cold steel. "I guess you heard the good news?"

"Yeah, it seems a certain someone is now the new CEO of Slate Corp and the ghost owner of Sandalwood Pharmaceuticals agreed to sell their company to the Slate for an extremely low price. It would also seem that the same certain someone was buying up massive amounts of stock through dummy accounts and shell companies in the short time between our little job and you taking over and turning the stock value around and skyrocketing it with a massive deal with the military. You've been a busy girl." Roman laughed, setting the bottle on the front counter.

"Yes, everything has been going exactly as I've planned it." With a smirk Ruby approached them, Blake following close behind, her mind still trapped in her earlier conversation with her boss about her future.

"Just how much are you worth now Doc? From what I hear, you made a killing in profit from the increased value of stocks alone." He was enjoying this, it was like he was getting so close to a roaring fire just to feel the heat. Behind Roman, Neo placed down four fine wine glasses, her smile never faltering as she took up her companion's side.

"Hmm, that's difficult to answer." Ruby hummed as she walked up the the counter, Torchwick moving the bottle away as she reached for a glass, holding it out for him to pour the drink as she continued. "If we count all of my legal assets and my companies, it's about three-hundred billion Lien. If we count my underground assets it's more like five-hundred billion. However, if we're just talking about my personal wealth, it's only hovering around one-point-four billion Lien."

Everyone in the room was stunned. Even Neo's trademark grin faded and Roman nearly dropped the bottle at the sheer scale of the numbers she spoke so casually of. Ruby shrugging while describing her own wealth, a fortune that very, very few in the entire world had and that many more would kill to have, yet… she shrugged, as though it were meager and trite. Roman wasn't sure whether to be outraged, impressed or terrified of the way the doctor spoke of money that could easily change the world in so many ways should she desire any outcome.

"That's… quite a lot." Was all he could think to say as he finished pouring her glass.

"I suppose." She shrugged again, eliciting a soft, resigned laugh from Roman. "Blake, come drink with us. This is our victory party, but just one glass, we still have a clinic to run."

"S-sure…" Blake stammered, her mind still trying to wrap itself around the titanic numbers that Ruby had thrown out while simultaneously grappling with the question posed to her by her boss that she still wasn't sure she had an answer for.

"Come on Kitten, we don't bite… well, Neo does but only if you're into that sort of- ouch!" He was brought to an abrupt stop by the blunt tip of Neo's umbrella hitting him the the back of the head.

"Don't mind them Blake, they're weird but they're very good friends of mine." Her smile was once again warm and inviting as she held her hand up to Blake, her caring gaze holding steady as she waited for the faunus to reciprocate the gesture.

"I guess a drink does sound nice." She gave up with a soft huff and a smile, placing her hand in Ruby's and letting the small but surprisingly strong woman pull her forward into their little group where Neo already had a glass waiting for her in her hand.

"That's the spirit!" Ruby beamed, once again having to force herself to let go of Blake's hand as she took a sip of her fine champagne.

"Is that a pun? Yang would be proud." With a teasing chuckle Roman partook in his drink with Neo sipping hers in a more refined manner by his side.

"You both know about Yang?" Blake's surprise let the words leave her mouth before she even thought them through, immediately heating up her cheeks and tightening her chest with worry as she looked over to Ruby, hoping not to see those sparkling silver eyes dulled with sadness.

"Of course they do." Ruby said simply, her smile unfading.

"Heh, Neo and I have know little Red for a lot longer than you or Thistle. What's it been? Eight years now? Back then you were just a kid with big dreams and no idea what to do to get them." He leaned against the counter, tapping the tip of his cane against the tiled floors, grinning as he reminisced.

"Yep, and you two were the ones the corrupted me to the dark side." Pointing her finger at them as she held her glass Ruby's voice grew at once playful and woeful, a snort of laughter escaping her.

"Yeah, like you needed to be corrupted. All you needed was a little push in the wrong direction, all the money didn't hurt. Kitten, did you know that I financed Ruby all the way through medical school?" He turned his emerald gaze to Blake who was slowly sipping away at her drink, caught off guard by the sudden attention.

"Really? Why? I mean, I know medical school can't be cheap." Blake was genuinely curious but it made sense after she thought about it. _She's built up a half trillion Lien empire with a personal worth of nearly a billion and a half Lien, she must have made some powerful connections early on. She's only twenty-seven, she wasn't born into money like Weiss Schnee, she clawed her way up, you can see it in her eyes, she's fought for everything. I think… I think this gives me a much better idea of just who Ruby is as a person._

"Oh it cost quite a bit, but little Red was resourceful and had a knack for doing dirty work after she got used to it. You should have seen her at first, the first time she did something that went against what she thought was right, she cried for over a week straight, nearly failed out of med school before even beginning. Still, there was that one thing that always motivated her and once she saw what she got in return… well, she adapted pretty quickly to her situation." Roman proudly raised his glass to her. Back then, he could never have imagined just how far she'd come.

"So you abandoned your morals for what you wanted… that's the choice you had to make?" Her tone was soft and absent as she stared vacantly into her glass, swirling around the light amber liquid inside.

"Some things are more important than our beliefs on right and wrong. Once I realized that… it got a lot easier." It wasn't even a hard admission for her to make and that alone bit into her heart with bitter resignation.

"I see…" What else could she say? She wasn't even sure how she felt about that… but one thing kept replaying over and over again in her mind. _I've fought for what I believed in, now I deserve what I truly want. That's what she said… so then, what do I want?_

"Ruby, you've got patients here to see you." All attention was taken, much to Blake's relief, to a young woman standing in the doorway up the few steps the led to the entrance, her head of apple red hair peeking out.

"Oh? Who is it?" Ruby tilted her head, it was very unlike Thistle to announce a patient's arrival or to sound so uneasy.

"Well…" Thistle strained her voice, trying her best to hide her anxiety as she held the door open, stepping back to allow whoever was behind it through.

Then, Ruby's eyes grew wide and suddenly shimmered with life as she watched a figure walk down the stairs. It was a woman, a tall and beautiful woman with long red hair and emerald green eyes clad in red and gold armor. The woman's heels clicked against the concrete steps as she descended with a soft but genuine smile on her lips.

"Pyrrha!" Ruby's heart began to beat just a little bit faster and her expression lit up with happiness as she watched Pyrrha step onto the floor… but her expression cooling to a more wistful smile as a man in white and gold armor over a black long sleeve top followed behind her, his eyes a deep blue and his hair blonde and long, tied into a ponytail. "Jaune… it's good to see you both."

"It's good to see you too Ruby." Pyrrha beamed brightly with Jaune stepping beside her, putting his arm around her and holding her close as he smile amiable at the doctor.

"I think I'm gonna go Red, Huntsmen and Huntresses, they leave a bad taste in my mouth." His grin held but his green eyes were soft with worry and compassion as he gulped down the rest of his drink before handing the glass to Neo and grabbing the bottle.

"I understand, thanks for coming by Roman, we can pick this up later if you want." Carefully placing her glass down on the counter beside them she walked over to him, putting her arms around the larger man and giving him a warm and very tight hug.

"See you around Kid." With his cane still in his hand he did his best to return the caring gesture, hoping to give some comfort to Ruby as he wrapped his arm around her back. "Good luck."

"Thank you." She pulled away, her head leaving his firm, muscular chest, giving room for Neo to jump in, more enthusiastically and with much more intense worry in her eyes she threw herself at Ruby, holding the taller girl in a protective embrace. "Thank you too Neo, I'll see you both soon."

"We'll give you some space." It took Roman placing his hand on Neo's shoulder to get her to separate from the doctor, even if reluctantly so. The two criminals took their leave, walking right past Pyrrha and Jaune.

"Torchwick." Pyrrha all but growled bitterly as they walked by.

"Chick Magnet." He smirked, tipping his hat while Neo stuck her tongue out at the Huntress before following along after Roman up the stairs, leaving Jaune, Pyrrha, Ruby and Blake in uncomfortable silence as Thistle descended into the clinic looking more than immensely worried.

"I don't know why you let that guy in here." Jaune spat with an angry huff.

"Pyrrha knows how I run my business Jaune, I don't turn anyone away." Her usually vibrant eyes were forlorn and dull as she stuffed her hands into her pockets.

"Yeah, he definitely looked sick." Blake was taken back by the anger in his voice while Thistle walked up calmly but defiantly between them.

"Is there a reason you're here? I mean, not that it's not great to see you again but it's been years, is something wrong?" Ruby's gaze was squarely on Pyrrha the entire time she spoke.

"Actually… there is a reason." Pyrrha beamed, brimming with excitement as she looked up to Jaune and then back to Ruby. "I'm pregnant!"

"That's wonderful!" Ruby smiled wide and happily, to anyone else she seemed genuinely happy for them, but Blake's sensitive ears weren't fooled, she could hear the very subtle strain in her voice as she spoke.

"Yeah, it is." Finally, Jaune's hostility melted away as he looked lovingly into Pyrrha's eyes. "I want to make sure my wife and child are taken care of and Pyrrha insists that you're the best doctor we could get so…"

"So you want me to do pre and post natal care?" Ruby was just as excited as she needed to be, just as amiable as she wanted to be and just as enthusiastic as she could be.

"And deliver the baby, if you wouldn't mind." Pyrrha grinned sheepishly, holding on close to Jaune.

"Of course, I'd love to! But hey, if the baby comes out with silver eyes don't blame me." This time, she directed her joke very, very intently at Jaune, making direct and unfailing eye contact with him as she grinned smugly his way.

"Ruby!" Pyrrha giggled, giving the doctor a playful nudge on her shoulder as her cheeks tinted pink.

"You-"

"Have you been to another doctor yet? Let me write you a prescription for folic acid and do some bloodwork, we want to make sure you and your baby get the best care possible." Ruby very decisively cut Jaune off, her eyes sparkling again as she looked up at Pyrrha.

"Whatever you think we need." She was so agreeable but Blake could practically taste the tension in the room and she knew that Thistle was feeling it too. The faunus had to wonder if Pyrrha knew what was going on or if she was oblivious to it.

"Perfect! Blake, you're going to help me, just watch and learn and I'll show you how to run basic blood work in the lab later okay?" She didn't even look away from Pyrrha for one moment.

"Yeah, sure." Blake felt… she wasn't sure what she felt. It was subtle, barely there but comfortable and unpleasant enough to bother her. She had a vague idea of what she could be feeling as Ruby very blatantly fawned over the newcomer. _I can't be… jealous… can I?_

"Come on, the exam rooms are right this way. Your husband can come too if he must." Blake could practically see her smoldering just under the surface as she led the three of them into the exam room.

 _I guess that's her… the one that got away._

* * *

"Alright, one more vial and we'll be all set." Ruby said softly and comfortingly as she grabbed a vacuum vial wrapped in a membrane of plastic on the top before bringing it into place in the needle that stuck out from Pyrrha's vein. The vial slid into place and the long, double sided needle stabbed into it, releasing the vacuum seal and allowing it to suck out the vital fluid from Pyrrha's viens. Even through her gloved hands and the plastic container Ruby could feel the warmth of Pyrrha's blood, the pressure of it rushing into the vial as crimson filled it to the brim.

"There, all done." She said in a cheerful, singsong voice as she removed the vial, passing it over to Blake for labeling. Ruby grabbed a patch of clean gauze from the tray beside her before sliding out the long needle from her patient's vein and immediately covering the puncture with the gauze, grabbing another two for good measure before wrapping a bandage around it, stopping the bleeding with the pressure.

"You sure took a lot." Jaune was clearly doing his very best to hide his disdain for the doctor.

"Yeah well, this is Pyrrha we're talking about. I know I wouldn't want anything to happen to her." In the instant that Pyrrha wasn't watching either of them, the two exchanged a very dangerous and angry glare, immediately becoming placid when she looked back at them.

"Ruby's the best there is. Don't worry, we couldn't be in better hands." Pyrrha looked to Ruby thankfully as she stood up, the Huntress having the utmost faith in her former lover and her capacity as a physician.

"I'm going to have you scheduled to come back in a couple weeks for an ultrasound and some more blood work." The doctor's eyes became as hard as steel and burned with protective conviction as she looked up at the Huntress. "I'll take care of you."

"I know you will Ruby…" For the first time since she had arrived, her warmth faded from her expression, replaced with guilt and sadness.

"Come on, we should get going." He held Pyrrha gently by her arm, spinning her around as he put his other arm behind her back, pulling her in before closing the gap between them. Their lips met and Pyrrha practically melted in his arms, her breaths quickening as she held him around his waist. By the time they parted, Pyrrha was huffing for breath with a hungry and playful smile on her lips.

"That sounds good." Pyrrha smirked, pressing up as close as she could to him… before they walked out of the exam room with their prescriptions and each other.

"Ruby…" Thistle's voice was uncharacteristically soft and compassionate as she walked in, giving one last look to the couple as they walked up the stairs to the exit.

"I'm fine." Ruby growled, her head hung low and her bangs obscuring her eyes that burned with pain and anger.

"That was her… I'm sorry Ruby." Blake reached out from behind Ruby, she could feel the young doctor's heart breaking, all she could offer was a gentle, loving touch… but Ruby moved away.

"Get back to work, both of you." With a dark, barely suppressed snarl Ruby stormed out, walking towards the back of the clinic, leaving her employees to worry about her alone.

"Where is she going?" At that moment, all the faunus could think about was Ruby and how utterly broken she looked.

"Where she always goes to blow off steam… the morgue."

* * *

"Set timer…. Start!"

 **Beep!**

Her scroll began counting up and she burst into action. The morgue was as cold as a fridge but Ruby had trained herself after intense practice to keep surgically still even in the cold. The lines were drawn on the corps' chest, his face already bisected laterally down the middle, the skin hanging down like flaps on both sides leaving the inner muscular and vascular workings of the face intact.

She was unparalleled with a scalpel, slicing down from collarbone to the base of the sternum, severing the thin skin that covered the muscle, fat and vasculature underneath. With a second sweep of the absurdly sharp blade Ruby severed the muscles and ligaments holding them together, slicing through the fat and muscle with ease, only having to go over the tougher tendons once more before the muscle fell apart, leaving the red, pink and white tissue exposed.

With that complete Ruby grabbed for her surgical saw, placing it firmly at the top of her long incision. The blade whirled, digging in and cutting through the bones of his ribcage as though they were cardboard, fragments of pulped bone spread out of the way of the saw as she felt the mass of bone shift and begin to give way as it was cleaved in two.

 _Now it's time to spread the ribs apart._ Laying down the saw she grabbed a metal, mechanical spreader, jamming its mandibles into the thin crevice she created in the sternum. The hydraulics did their work, effortlessly pulling apart the ribs with a distinctive sound and the few remaining connections snapped from the pressure. In the man's body she could feel the ribcage shifting in ways that she imagined would have hurt quite a lot to someone who was alive and awake. With the bones out of the way, the organs were exposed, largely filled by the pleura of the lungs, but she had access to the part she needed… the heart.

Ruby reached in carefully with her scalpel, avoiding the lungs before making a very small stab into the heart, piercing through the pericardium and cutting straight into the cardiac muscle in the right ventricle. _Okay… now the fun part begins._

Ruby spread aside the lungs, reaching her knife back into the chest cavity, this time more precisely cutting, stripping away the pericardium, revealing the true structure of the human heart. It was mostly red and pale at some parts and was an incredibly intricate machine that kept all complex macroscopic organisms alive. In a blur she grabbed for the thread and needle and dived in, sewing shut the stab to the heart, counting each second, estimating blood loss and in her mind, running through everything she would do if this were a live patient, over and over and over again.

"Stop timer!" Ruby commanded to her scroll as she resealed the pericardium encasing the heart.

 **Ding!**

 _It's pretty hard to feel cold when you're trying to beat the clock._ She giggled to herself looking over to the timer. _Not bad, nearly beat my personal best again._

"Um… can I come in." A soft, nervous voice spoke up from the doorway.

"Blake, hey. Yeah, come in, I just finished stitching a cardiac laceration. I um… I wanted to talk to you anyway. Why don't you scrub in, get suited up and we can talk." Ruby's smile was softened with relief as she put down her tools.

"I've already scrubbed up, you always remind me when coming back in the OR, or lab, I figured it was the same for the morgue." With a small grin on her lips she walked in and put on a blue surgical suit and gloves, covering her from head to ankle and her fingers sheathed in gloves.

"So… what did you think of Pyrrha?" Ruby asked as she nonchalantly leaned with her elbows propped up against the corpse' belly.

"Honestly, I don't think I liked her. I can't be sure if she knew what was going on but she wasn't helping. I don't like how angry you got." Blake knew how much Pyrrha meant to Ruby and that insulting her might be treading on dangerously thin ice, but Ruby deserved the truth.

"Yeah, she knew what was going on. She was just trying to keep things from escalating but by the end, she was just trying to teach me a lesson. She belongs to him now, that was her way of telling me to let go and stop taking my frustration about our breakup out on her husband." Even though she was still smiling Ruby's eyes held a deep and consuming sadness, more potent than anything Blake had ever seen in the young doctor.

"I don't think that's fair." Feeling more bold and more angry now knowing that Pyrrha knew exactly what she was doing to Ruby, she stated her feelings more openly and fervently. "She shouldn't come to you for help and then shove what you lost in your face."

"I know you're right Blake… but I can't be mad at her. I love her." Ruby's voice was so soft and so, so painful, coming out as little more than a whisper as she looked into the corpse below her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"No, it's alright. I appreciate you being honest with me. Thistle likes to just do whatever she thinks will make me happy but you don't say things just to make me feel better. I like that about you." For just a moment, her entire visage brightened with happiness as she spoke of Blake and Thistle… but settled back into sorrow as she continued.

"You know, I loved her almost instantly. Our first date she was just so bright and stunning, she was patient with me, she was gentle and she was beyond caring. It was only six months but by that point I was so convinced that she was the one that I- heh-heh, I actually bought a ring to propose. I was ready to spend the rest of my life with her… and then Jaune came back into her life. They had broken up before we met and then he just showed up with a grand gesture of his undying love. She left me for him, like it was nothing… I loved her with all my heart and she chose him. It's pathetic I know… but I still have the ring I was going to give to her." The bitterness in her laugh and the self hatred in her eyes hurt Blake all the way down to her core, more than she would have expected… so much more.

"You didn't deserve that." It took all the restraint she had to stop herself from shouting as her blood boiled. "You don't need to hold onto that, you're too good for her."

"Yeah but I- I can't get over her." A long, soft sigh escaped her lips, her silver eyes shimmering with tears that she frantically tried to blink away until a small, fragile and hopeful smile formed from her lips. "At least… I'm not there yet… but maybe soon."

"You have people that care about you Ruby, people that love you. If you don't look up from the past, you may be too late to see what's been right in front of you." Yang's words reverberated in Blake's mind, ringing only more true every time she saw Ruby struggling to get past what she had lost.

"I know… I hope that those people will stay around… I don't think it will be too much longer before I'm finally ready to look up." A heart clad in ice and iron was being opened up without her desire or consent, but Blake was pushing through it all, merely by being herself. _No… it won't be long now._

"Hey, have you ever held a human heart?" Ruby perked up, changing the subject at at breakneck speeds, her eyes lighting up with enthusiasm and amusement as Blake looked taken aback.

"Um… no?" Now she was getting concerned. She wasn't as squeamish as Thistle but she'd never held someone's organs in her hands before.

"It's quite an experience, come here, I'll show you how to take it out." She motioned with her head for Blake to approach and very, very hesitantly, her assistant did just that.

"This is what we look like on the inside huh?" Blake couldn't help but feel awe and wonder as she looked at the structures of the corpse, the shape of the lungs, the way they almost cradled the heart, the veins and arteries that spider-webbed throughout every organ. _It's like a work of art…_

"Yep! Don't worry, I'll go into excruciating details later once you've studied up some more but for now, I just want you to have this experience." She grinned, grabbing her scalpel. "Okay, cardiac muscle and connective tissue is pretty tough so it may take a couple to cuts to get it out neatly. First, we're gonna want to cut through the superior vena cava here on the right side, it brings deoxygenated blood to the right atrium of the heart."

Blake watched as Ruby sliced through the thick, muscular tube, it was surprisingly smooth and shiny on the inside and the knife made a dull sound as it severed every fiber that held it together. _This is actually pretty fascinating, knowing that's what I look like, what Ruby looks like, Thistle, humans and faunus, we're just the same mess of organs on the inside._

"Okay, now the inferior vena cava right below it, then the aorta and lastly we have to sever the pulmonary artery." With three more cuts Ruby severed all major connections to the heart. "Let me just take it out of the pericardium for you, that's the sack that surrounds the heart."

"Here!" Ruby beamed, her gloves and gown soaked in stale blood but her bright sparkling eyes and warm smile juxtaposed what should have been something horrific as she handed over someone's heart she had ripped out of their chest.

"It's… small." Blake stared in wonder at the handful of muscle and tubes that she cradled in her cupped hands.

"Yeah, it's pretty amazing right? It gives us all about two billion beats before it stops and then, it takes everything we are with it. After that, you're just a corpse, your memories, your personality, your love your hate your pain and pleasure, all rapidly decaying inside an oxygen starved brain. Under normal conditions, a life that could take nearly a century or more to build and accumulate will be snuffed out in under fifteen minutes." It should have been bleak, it should have been depressing… but all either of them found it was truly, absolutely incredible.

"Do you want to see how I saved your life?" Ruby smirked, already knowing the answer. She could see that spark of curiosity in those beautiful amber eyes. Blake was a lot like her.

"Yeah, I'd like that." Blake smiled, rubbing her thumb over the smooth surface of the heart once more before handing it over to Ruby, the corpse' blood staining her gloves.

"I thought so!" The doctor giggled happily, delight back in her eyes and her voice.

"You got shot in your right hepatic artery, that's right near your liver." Ruby reached over and grabbed a black marker on the tray beside her as she dropped the man's heart into a large metal bowl. Humming a happy tune she drew a line down the length of his torso down to his bellybutton and then, much to her assistant's surprise… Ruby handed her the scalpel. "Just cut down that line, nice and steady. You've got the skin, the then fat, then the abdominal sheath, muscles, connective tissue. You'll need to slice through all of it, don't worry if you have to repeat cuts."

"Are you sure it's okay that I do this?" Blake asked, holding the small but immensely sharp blade, looking down at the man's belly.

"Of course, I want you to know how to do this. Okay, so when we brought you in you were losing blood very, very fast from a nick in your artery. First thing I did was give you a unit of O-negative blood… my blood. O-negative is the universal donor, you could give my blood to anyone but that doesn't work in reverse." Ruby instructed as Blake gulped down her fear and began cutting along the line her boss had drawn. She was surprised at just how easily and smoothly it cut.

"Okay, now this is where you got shot." Ruby grabbed another scalpel as she pulled the sheet of skin back, giving it a few more cuts to pull it away, revealing the inner workings of the human body. Blake started at his intestines, his liver, his gallbladder. Everything had a place that it grew into just right, filling up the space inside a person as they develop in the womb.

"See that structure right there? That's the right hepatic artery and it got damaged right about… here." Ruby went and made a small cut with her knife to the specific artery. "Now, if you hadn't already lost too much blood for it to really matter I would need to suction out your blood to see what I was doing. You got very lucky, your intestines were perforated so this was the only major patch I had to make."

"Alright, so what did you do?" Blake's eyes were sharp and passionate, she was captivated. That look, that passion and that curiosity, it burned right into Ruby's heart, sending warmth and pride through her entire body. She never had someone to share her fascination and love with… _And now… I do._

"So, first thing is we have to get a venous patch, I actually helped inven these when I was pre-med. Anyway, after I pulled out the bullet I grabbed the patch, needle and thread and started working. Watch closely, this stitching is what saved your life along with my invention." As Ruby instructed, Blake watched intently and closely, watching every loop and stitch, the way the artery moved, the way her hands flowed with the grace of an artist and the precision of a machine. After only a minute, the patch was stitched in and the bleeding would have been stopped.

"After that, I packed your wound and put in a shunt to drain fluid and then let your body and aura do the rest." Ruby looked into Blake's eyes, not even noticing the smile on her own lips as she lost herself on those sharp and glistening ambers.

"You're amazing, you know that?" Blake looked up after running over the layout of the body one more time. "You're so young but you're already one of the best in the world. It must have taken a lot of practice and dedication to get that far."

"Thanks!" She blushed, having to stop herself from rubbing the back of her head bashfully as she tended to do. However, the warmth and light in her heart was consumed by cold and isolating fear and pain… and it showed in her face.

"Is something wrong?" She knew Ruby well enough, the look she was wearing wasn't some trivial sadness, something in her heart was very wrong and she needed help.

"I- I need to tell you something… but I want to you promise not to leave until I've said and showed you everything you need to see and hear." Ruby's silver gaze fell, her heart heavy and her eyes dull as fear and apprehension took over.

"What is it?" A pang of fear gripped her chest, subtle and small but a deep and terribly dark sense of foreboding flowed through her veins like ice.

"Hold my hand and don't let go." Forcing herself to look up, to meet the gaze of the one she knew she was about to her, Ruby extended her hand and, although hesitantly, Blake took her hand in her own.

"What's going on? You're scaring me…" Her ears were pinned back and her chest felt tight but Ruby's solemn expression was as cold and woeful as ever.

"It's about this man." With a heavy sigh Ruby reached out with her free hand to his head, grabbing the flaps of skin and pulling them together… revealing his face. Instantly, she could feel Blake try to pull away.

"No… no… th-that's…" Blake's mouth went dry and her heart began to pound in her chest, her vision tunneled on the man's face.

"Yeah, this is him. Apparently the information we go from him for Cinder was good. She dropped him off here while we were dealing with Slate Corp." A wistful and weak smile formed on her lips but her eyes held only pain and heartbreak as she felt Blake's hand trembling in her grasp.

"Blake, I know this may seem cruel and wrong but what I do here, it's for something and like you've just seen, the skills I refine here save lives." Her voice was confident and passionate but her dull, broken eyes never changed. "Do you have any idea what kind of resources Cinder has at her disposal? Impressive resources and that's coming from me. I've done this for her and now she owes me a favor, her resources are mine and with her power I can do so many great things. I can do something that was said to be impossible… Blake, understand that I just-"

"You're a monster…" Cold… Ruby had never, never heard Blake's voice become so cold.

"Blake…"

"I- I need to go. I can't be here right now." With a weak jerk of her hand she broke free, stripping off her surgical clothes and throwing away her gloves she ran out of the morgue and all the while… Ruby just watched.

"That's right… and who could love a monster." She sighed softly, shaking her head as silent tears rolled down her cheeks.

"You don't believe that for a second." An angry and entirely done with bullshit voice spoke up from the doorway Blake had run out of.

"What do you want Thistle?" With a quivering voice as fought to reign in her tears, trying to stem their flow to keep her bodyguard and closest friend from seeing her fall apart.

"You did that on purpose. I know you better than anyone else Ruby. It's no coincidence that you pull this the day Pyrrha shows up. She comes back into your life like an earthquake and brings back all of those feelings. You and I both know it, even if you don't want to admit it but you're afraid of the feelings you're getting for Blake." She looked beyond angry, her eyes burning with finality and passion.

"Shut up Thistle…" Ruby hissed as she took off her gown, struggling to undress from it through the haze of tears.

"If you can't let this go, if you can't move past Pyrrha and let people into your heart, you will lose everyone that loves you. You push Blake anymore and she will leave us… it might already be too late." Her heart was heavy and that only pissed her off more. _I'm not here for Blake…_

"Blake won't leave… she can't." The doctor growled, throwing away her blood stained gloves before pushing past Thistle who leaned against the doorway, drops still rolling down her cheeks. _Blake can't leave… I don't want to push her away._

"Don't be so sure about that." Thistle whispered, her arms falling to her side as she turned to follow her boss, her friend and so much more. _I just want you to be happy._


	8. Past, Present and Future: Part 2

_What should I do?_ It was a question that had kept her up all night after she left the morgue in tears and horror. The question screaming in her mind, ripping her from sleep every time it drew near. Now, she was exhausted, she was scared, she was nauseous and she had been either locked in her room since morning or spending the rest of the day avoiding Ruby. _That hasn't been too hard, I guess she doesn't want to face me after what she did._

 _Why? Why did she have to do that? I- I thought I was starting to understand her, to be okay with what she does but she doesn't have any remorse at all. She's a monster…_ Her arms that had been hugging her fell to her side, the soft, fuzzy fabric of her luxurious robe that she slept comforted her with its gentle touch… even though it was stained with the blood of all the people Ruby had killed to afford such nice things. She was guilted to admit it but… _I like it here._

 _It's warm, it's safe and I've never doubted that, in her own twisted way, Ruby cares about me. Thistle too probably. I- I feel like I belong here, I'm safe… it's more than I've ever felt with the White Fang._ Her nails dug into her robe as her fists balled over the fabric, her jaw clenched and her chest hot and tight as a storm of incomprehensible feelings that left her unable to analyze her own emotions in any meaningful way.

"It shouldn't be so hard to leave. I gave my life to the White Fang, decades of my time, soul and energy and heart poured into their cause and once the corruption became too much for me to bear… I just left." She shuddered, her ears pinning back atop her head of black hair, her heart racing and a sickening chill running through her veins. _So why can't I leave Ruby and Thistle? I saw her do things so cruel and with so little remorse… I can tell she enjoys it, hell, Ruby thrives on it. I could see that glee in her eyes as she injected him with Hell Fire and the nonchalance she had when she took apart his body… with my help._

Even as she felt her stomach turn and seemingly every cell in her body revolt against what she had seen… something was sparked in her that night. She genuinely enjoyed that time with Ruby before she found out who they were dissecting, it ignited at once a morbid curiosity and childlike wonder at everything she learned. Even after she walked out after seeing his face… _I just can't get it out of my mind. Watching the steps Ruby took to save me, watching how effortless it was for her, the way the scalpel felt and the way it cut after she handed it to me… I just can't get those feelings out of my head._

 _I think that the worst part is… I don't hate Ruby. Even knowing that she's a monster, I feel bad for walking out like that, I feel bad for saying what I said. Even now, a small part of me wants to find her and see her smile again, not that dark, devious grin but her true, warm and loving smile. I want to be around that smile, I want to make her face light up like that, I know Thistle does too. Still, can I stay knowing what she is? What she's capable of? What I'll have to do if I follow her down the path that she's on? Can I stay?_ ' Her arms relaxed, falling weakly to her side she felt her resolve and her turmoil snuff out as a wave of cold filled her chest.

 _"_ _You've fought all your life for what you thought was right, now I think you deserve to have what makes you truly happy, whatever that may be."_ Ruby's words played in her head, the doctor's voice as soft and caring as they were the day she spoke them. _Is it really that simple? Can I just abandon my morality… just to be happy?_

"Are you just gonna stand there? You're kinda in the middle of the hall." A subduedly annoyed voice spoke up behind her, ripping Blake from her thoughts as she spun around, ashamed at herself that she did not hear the bodyguard's approach.

"S-sorry Thistle… I was just-"

"Yeah, I know, I heard you mumbling to yourself." Thistle looked like she had very little interest or patience towards the faunus as she brought a cap up to her lips, letting pills fall onto her tongue before gulping them down with a mouthful of water from the bottle in her other hand. "If you're having doubts you should talk to Ruby… unless you're afraid she'll convince you to stay."

"What were those pills for?" Blake asked, only half as bemused as she sounded but desperate for a change of subject.

"These? They're immune suppressors or something. I had a liver transplant a while back and I need to take these to make sure my body doesn't reject it. They make me get sick a lot but it beats being dead. Hey, you can actually still see the scar a little, I have a lot of aura so it's mostly gone but you can see that little white line going through here." Thistle ran her finger over the long line left over from the incision that ran down her middle, between her breasts mostly covered by the strip of fabric she always wore around her chest running all the way down past her sternum.

"It could have been a lot worse…" Thistle trailed off, her normally fiery eyes softening with wistful nostalgia.

"Was Ruby the one that saved you?" It wasn't hard to tell, Thistle was tough and usually kept her softer side bottled up but once she felt comfortable around you, she turned out to be a fiercely passionate and empathetic person. When it came to Ruby, she was soft and warm. Blake knew Ruby had saved Thistle but for some reason, she never asked how.

"Yeah, she saved me… more than just medically, she saved me from a life I didn't even know I wanted to leave. She gave me a second chance and told me that this is my new life… I've never looked back and no matter what she says, I'll be indebted to her for the rest of my life." Her soft purple eyes glistened for just a moment and her voice strained ever so slightly as powerful emotions tightened her throat.

"Blake… I want to tell you the story of how I met Ruby." Thistle's tone grew colder and more serious but her eyes were pleading and hopeful with no small amount of pain shimmering on their surface.

"Why?" The faunus blinked in surprise at the proposition. Thistle and her had been… on strange terms for a while but they were friendly enough. Still, the little talking they did do always revolved solely around Ruby.

"Because I want you to know what kind of person she is. You staying here is good for her and you leaving would hurt her a lot. I think, once you hear me out, you'll have a better understanding of who Ruby is and just what we mean to her." There it was again, that fire, that uncompromising, unstoppable conviction and ferocity that told Blake that "no" wasn't an option.

"Okay, I'll listen." She wasn't sure what she was expecting or whether she even wanted her mind changed but for some reason, she couldn't turn Thistle down. _Maybe it's just curiosity._

"Good." Thistle huffed, folding her arms over her chest as she leaned against the wall of the hallway outside their bedrooms. "Alright… it all started two years ago…"

* * *

"So, how have you been?" A young doctor in a custom lab coat said as she pressed her fingers against the soft, pristine wrist of her patient.

"I didn't know I could talk while you counted my pulse." A playful and amused grin formed from the woman's lips as her amber eyes watched the doctor count along with each beat in her head.

"I'm feeling not listening." Ruby shrugged, giving it a couple more seconds before pulling her hand off of her wrist, taking a pen from her pocket and writing down the number on her notepad. "I'm just curious as to why you're here, you're healthy… very healthy, your resting heart rate is forty-four and your blood pressure is one-ten over seventy. It's not like you to be concerned about your health so why are you here Cinder?"

"One can never be too careful with their health, isn't that right doctor?" Her eyes were hungry and playful and filled with an intense desire that seemed to be barely restrained as she leaned towards the physician. As Ruby met her gaze she immediately felt her cheeks heat up as blood tinted them an enticing pink.

"Pull up your shirt." Ruby muttered, struggling to remain in control of the situation, pulling the stethoscope draped around her neck and putting it in her ears, tapping gently on the diaphragm before looking back up to Cinder who looked more than pleased with the request.

"But my dear, you haven't even bought me dinner yet." Her voice was so smooth and sensual it sent chills down Ruby's spine. Enticing? Almost overwhelmingly so, but still she held her composure the best she could.

"You've been hanging out with Roman too much, it sounds like something he would say." She responded with a half hearted smirk before walking around to the other side of the table to get to Cinder's back.

"Well, even he has his strengths and charm and charasma are certainly them. Fine, I'll be more straight forward, I know you'll appreciate that." A pleasant chill crawled over her skin as the metal of the stethoscope gently pressed against her back. "Would you like to-"

"Deep breath, no talking yet." Ruby commanded in a tone so brazen few would dare to speak to the fiery mistress of evil in such a way but Ruby did it without hesitation or fear… and Cinder obliged. Ruby listened to her lungs as she drew in long, deep breaths, moving her stethoscope precisely over her pale, flawless back avoiding the black strap of her bra to listen to everything she needed to, the sound giving her a clear picture of everything going on within her body that the doctor could glean from such a simple seeming exam.

"Okay… your lungs sound good." Her voice was distant and distracted as she hung her tool back over her neck before slowly and gently, hesitating only for a moment, grabbing Cinder's red top. Her fingers brushed against her warm, smooth back, following the gentle curves of her body with her knuckles, feeling her shift ever so slightly with each breath as she pulled Cinder's soft red top all the way down.

"It seems like you're having fun back there." Cinder cooed, soaking in the feeling of the doctor's delicate touch against her back. Everyone feared her… everyone but Ruby, none were so bold as to touch her that way, except for her. It was nice and Cinder wanted to own it, to monopolize it and control it, to hold that girl with the stunning silver eyes that burned with the same appetite as her own and never let go.

"So… you were saying?" Ruby tried to sound nonchalant but her heart was pounding in her chest as it filled with a blissful fire, sending that pleasurable heat through her veins as it permeated her body.

"I was saying I would like to take you to dinner, some place romantic, quiet, intimate. Then, if all goes well... I can take you to my bed." Those last words were whispered point blank into Ruby's ear sending that fire into an inferno and making her legs go weak as her hot breath tingled every nerve on her ear and neck.

"Th-that… um… wow. Cinder I um…" Her brain was scrambling to remember how to make words come out as she felt cinders warm, smooth hands wrap around her hips, sliding under her shirt as she pushed the smaller woman against the nearby counter nearly knocking over a bottle of medical swabs.

"It's been what? Almost five years? Don't you think it's time to let Pyrrha go and enjoy life. You know it's short and painful but I can help make it just a little sweeter." Ruby was helpless as Cinder leaned in, she could barely hear over the sound of her blood rushing through her hears and the fire and electricity that shot through every nerve, making her feel alive with so many feelings from fear to pleasure to anticipation and apprehension.

Even so, as Cinder leaned down, her hand slowly but surely working its way up underneath her top and with each inch gained Ruby felt her will slipping away. Her senses were growing nearly useless as sensations became a mix of excitement and panic and elation, she could feel Cinder's lips gently grace her neck sending waves of heat from that one spot. A soft moan escaped her lips as Cinder bit down hard on her neck, Ruby's entire body tensed up and, her body starting to run on pure instinct she wrapped her arms around Cinder and tilted her head to the side, exposing her neck more, enticing Cinder to go further as Ruby's will burned away.

"That's right, just relax. This is just what you need to put her out of your mind. I want you Ruby, all to myself." Her hand was now only millimeters from Ruby's chest, she could feel the outline of her bra against her fingertips while further up Cinder breathed soft, hot breaths against her neck before biting down more gently on her ear. "You don't need to hold onto Pyrrha anymore."

"Stop." There it was… that icy, dangerous tone. One of the few things in the world that could send the chill of fear through Cinder's black heart. In her grasp Ruby could feel her friend flinch at her words before she slowly and cautiously pulled away.

"I guess you're still not ready." That wasn't what Ruby expected, she expected anger or more likely, a flare in her insatiable desire that only made her passion grow. Instead what she found in those amber eyes was… pity and disappointment as she looked at the silver eyed doctor who desperately tried to catch her breath and get control of herself, fighting against her trembling body and the fire that still burned in her blood.

"Don't ever do that again." Ruby's gaze held strong and fierce as she looked Cinder in the eyes, standing up straight as she fixed her ruffled top, stepping forward without fear until she was right in Cinder's face. "Do you understand?"

"Yes doctor, I understand perfectly." Cinder gave a resigned shrug, conceding to the will of her prey, finding the tables had been very dramatically turned. However, when she looked back up, she had a gentle, more delicate smile as her hand reached up, cupping Ruby's burning cheek in her soft warm palm. "Someday however, you will be ready to move on. When that day comes and you find yourself lonely… well, I'd never say no to such a beautiful face and more importantly, a kindred spirit."

"A kindred spirit huh?" Ruby released one more stressed exhale before her body relaxed, leaning more comfortably against the counter she had been pinned against not minutes ago. _I could really use a cigarette right now._

"Of course, I hear you have some big plans in the works." Her expression lit up with a mix of excitement and pride that Ruby couldn't help but find endearing. "A new company, Sandalwood Pharmaceuticals has been growing lately, still a rather small operation but the curious thing is, despite its apparent growth, it's not gaining nearly the market shares it needs to be able to justify that growth. It also seems their CEO is a ghost, running the company from the shadows, pulling the strings and sucking up talented individuals from other companies and amassing funds, equipment and manpower all while doing next to nothing. This has your signature all over it my dear Rose."

"Sandalwood is just a means to an end, just a tool. A pawn that will help me take a bishop and put me within striking distance of the king." Cinder could see the gears turning, the plans that set the fates of those in her path without them even realizing it. She was in control of their lives, when they would improve, when they would change and when they would end. There was a reason Cinder fear this girl, it's because she was even more cunning that herself and was only growing more powerful by the day. _All driven by a single, powerful desire._

"It's such an amusing thing to watch your will reshape the world. I almost feel bad for anyone unfortunately enough to be in your way." Cinder rested herself against the exam bed, her eyes never once leaving Ruby as they looked hungrily up and down the girl.

"Don't make it sound so sinister, you know why I'm doing this." She looked away, both bashfully from Cinder's almost predatory gaze and in feigned shame that she thought she should be feeling… but Cinder wasn't fooled for a moment.

"Yes, I'm aware. How is Yang doing by the way?" Cinder wasn't one for niceties unless they brought her immediate gain but Ruby was… special.

"As good as she can be. She's still living with our dad even though I've told her she can come live with me." An exhausted and defeated sigh escaped her lips as she looked up to the ceiling, her thoughts going towards her big sister.

"How much does she know about what you do? Does she know the real you or do you protect her from the scary underworld that you rule?" Cinder couldn't help herself, licking her lips at the look in Ruby's eyes which fell somewhere between threatening and flattered.

"She knows as much as she needs to and I don't rule the world in any capacity… at least not yet." That look… Cinder almost jumped at her again, the desire to throw the smaller girl against a wall and have her way with her was nearly overwhelming as Ruby's eyes were like the coldest ice and hottest fire, the ambition and desire mixing with conviction that had elevated her from little more than a child running errands for Torchwick to a monster in her own right.

"I should probably leave before I do something I regret. You're far too beautiful and special to waste on a love that's lost." The older woman shook her head, her luscious black hair swaying with her before she turned around, her heels clicking against the tiled floor. "My own feelings aside, I do hope you open your heart again. Who knows, maybe after the next one burns out you'll come running back to me and I can have you all to myself."

"Bye Cinder, I'll see you again soon. Maybe over a nice, friendly dinner." The doctor's smile was bright and friendly with a childlike innocence to it that was entirely too disarming to Cinder. _Besides… I could do a lot worse. Cinder is beautiful and she knows how to get what she wants. If nothing else, we could use each other. Being used by Cinder… okay, I should probably stop before I do something I regret._

"Until next time, my beautiful little Rose." With that, Cinder walked out the opaque glass and metal door, Ruby listened as the click of her heels grew further and further away until she could hear them ascending up the stairs before the door opened… and shut.

"That woman is a hazard to my health." Ruby let out a long, drawn out sigh, still feeling the dampness of Cinder's saliva on her neck and the tingling of the residual sensation from the bite. A not so small part of her regretted not giving in and just going for it… _But I could just see her… Pyrrha's smile, that beautiful smile and her soft and warm voice._

"I need a drink." Ruby huffed bitterly, walking out of the exam room and into the main lobby. The underworld was quiet… too quiet. It was always quiet. The only time another living soul was down here was to be a patient but walk ins were a scarcity most days. Ruby walked slowly and listlessly towards the front desk where a bottle of bourbon was always kept.

The Underworld was her pride and joy, she had sunk a not so modest fortune into the discrete location in the slums of Vale. It was pricy, even more so to keep as much of it off the books as possible and to expedite construction. It was her home, her domain… but lately, she was feeling less and less at home. _I wish Yang would come live with me._

 _Maybe I should have gone with Cinder, I mean it doesn't have to be anything romantic right? Just fun? Just blowing off steam? It's been a long time since I've been with anyone… waking up being held doesn't sound so bad, even if it is just for sex. Just being there, someone warm sleeping next to me, their arms around me… even I would like to feel safe once in awhile._ As much as she wished to put it aside, she couldn't, those thoughts and feelings kept popping up, every time her mind wandered back to Cinder pinning her down and having her way with her, the fire in her chest reignited.

 _Feeling safe… pfff, like I deserve that. After all, I am a monster, I'm what people want to feel safe from, Cinder too. We really would be perfect for each other, maybe I should just embrace it, chase her down and let her play with me, she certainly knows what she's doing. Who else are we going to find? Who else wants to give their heart to a monster? Even if it's meaningless… a touch would be-_

"Help!" A man screamed as he barged through the door, stealing Ruby from her thoughts much to her gratitude. Ruby watched half puzzled half on guard as eight more men filed in, all in black tactical gear, all armed and all big, strong men… save for one. A small girl with apple red hair, unconscious in the arms of a man with matching hair.

"What seems to be the problem?" Ruby could barely work up any enthusiasm as she strolled casually over to them, her hands in her lab coat pockets and her senses on high alert.

"Please, my sister, our boss, she's sick you have to help her!" The brother pleaded, stepping forward from the group of men, presenting the young woman in his arms.

She was beautiful… that was the first thought Ruby had. Her skin was pale and her cheeks were flushed, her shoulder length hair was tied in a braid at her side. She was tiny, maybe five feet tall at best but her muscles were extremely toned. Unlike the rest of her crew she wore a black leather vest with a strip of purple fabric tied around her chest, leaving her belly exposed while shorts covered her legs above her knees.

"You're the brother?" She looked up at him, her eyes now sharp and focused as her mind shifted entire to the task of saving the girl.

"Yes! My name is Vitali and this is my sister Thistle, she's been sick and today she collapsed and-"

"Shut up and get her into my exam room, the rest of you wait here!" Even the group of heavily armed men didn't argue with the doctor, even if they wanted to she didn't give them a chance, running back towards the room she had just been in with Cinder with Vitali and Thistle close behind.

"Set her on the bed and get out." Ruby commanded, holding the opaque glass door open for him, letting both brother and sister through before closing it behind them. Vitali carefully and gently lay the small girl down but she barely stirred as she was laid flat.

"Now leave, I have to do an exam and you're in the way." Without waiting for a response Ruby immediately put on her gloves as made her way over to the bed but Vitali was still lingering. "If you want me to help her you have leave now."

"Take care of her, she's all I have left." With one last pain and worry filled look Vitali gritted his teeth and turned around, walking out the door, giving Ruby and Thistle privacy.

"Okay, now let's see what's wrong." With a soft breath Ruby relaxed knowing that stress and tension were the enemy. Ruby took her stethoscope and place the membrane on her chest, listening to her heartbeat and breathing while wrapping a pressure cuff around her arm.

 _Her breaths are weak and shallow, her heartbeat is soft and tepid, she's in bad shape_. The doctor looked over to the pressure cuff. _One-seventy over one ten, her blood pressure is dangerously high. She's sweating, she's weak, barely conscious… hell, she's barely alive._

Ruby lifted up the small girl's hand, taking it tenderly into her own, pinching the skin on the back of her hand and watching the rate at which it took back its normal shape. It took far longer than it should have. _This is bad, she's severely dehydrated. I need to get her on IV fluids now!_

The young doctor was deceptively strong but the small, thin and frail girl was light, it wasn't hard to pick her up, carrying her bridal style into the recovery room. Something just didn't feel right, in the pit of her stomach Ruby felt something off about this whole thing but at the moment, all her thoughts and focus were consumed by the girl quickly dying in her arms.

Carefully placing Thistle down on the soft, comfy hospital bed Ruby adjusted her limp body, ensuring she was comfortable before rushing off in a blur of rose petals, her long lab coat fluttering behind her as she dashed off with her Semblance towards the supply room, grabbing a bag of IV fluids, a mix of saline and other electrolytes to stave off the effects of severe dehydration as well as an IV line, a needle with a layer of adhesive plastic surrounding it, ready to be peeled off once the needle was in a vein, able to stay there and take any more drugs as needed.

She never used her Semblance… she didn't know why she decided to then, it wasn't even a thought, her body just moved, her heart raced and her mind was singularly focused. Nothing mattered, nothing but saving Thistle. In an instant she blurred back to Thistle's bedside, hanging up the bag of fluids on a stand she picked up an alcohol swab, scrubbing Thistle's arm at her elbow joint thoroughly before stabbing the needle into her arm, pulling back the plastic sheath and, letting the adhesive cling to her skin before she pulled the tube from the bang and stabbed it into the receiving end of the IV line.

 _If I'm going to figure out what's happening I'll need to wake her up. She won't like it but a mild stimulant will do the trick._ She felt her anxiety slowing, dehydration was the most immediate threat, once she woke up it would be a lot easier to figure out the rest and deal with it. With a soft sigh she turned around and walked to the pharmacy a short distance away, her eyes never looking down at the rose petals her special power had produced.

'Something still doesn't feel right.' Ruby hummed to herself as she grabbed a syringe of the mild stimulant. She couldn't quite place it, something was just wrong and it was irritating her more and more that she didn't know what it was. _I guess I just have to take care of one thing at a time. I wish Cinder was here, I could really use a hand and she would probably be able to help me figure out what feels wrong._

With that Ruby once again made her way back to the girl's bed, she was still breathing so that was a start. Carefully Ruby turned the girl's arm up, exposing the second tube that ran into the needle in her arm. She plunged the small syringe into the soft rubber, it closing back up as she retracted the needle, not letting anything spill out. As she waited for the drugs to take effect she hooked up monitors to the girl, a steady beeping filled the recovery room as she stuck sticky but electrically perceptive pads hooked up to wires on the girl's chest, an ECG reading the activity in her heart. It wasn't good, her heart rate was rapid and weak… _but getting her hydrated should help some._

"W..wa…" Thistle began to stir from her slumber, being forced back into misery and suffering at the discretion of her doctor.

"Don't push yourself, you're safe here. My name is Ruby Rose and I'm a doctor. Your friends brought you here because you were sick and-" She came to a very abrupt and very frightening stop as she looked into Thistle's bleary eyes. Like the rest of the girl, Thistle's eyes were a beautiful soft purple not too unlike her own sister's… but the sclera, the white of her eyes… was tinted yellow. _Her liver is failing._

"Thistle, I know you probably have a lot of questions but I need you to tell me everything so I can help you. When did you start feeling sick?!" The urgency in her tone snapped Thistle into alertness, the young woman looking around the hospital before her gaze fell on her doctor, those big, silver glistening eyes that looked down at her with unrestrained compassion and caring. It made Thistle feel safe.

"Last week… I felt weird… nauseous, c-cold… so cold… dizzy. Then I… I um…" The leader of the group of men in the waiting room trailed off, her eyes drifting bashfully away from Ruby who know exactly what that meant.

"You're life is hanging by a thread, this isn't the time to be embarrassed. I'm a doctor… you have to tell me everything." Her tone was dripping with care and empathy as she gently and tenderly held Thistle's hand in her own, kneeling down to be at eye level with the girl.

"Diarrhea… I was throwing up… it hurt a lot. It- It still hurts." The poor thing barely had the strength to speak, she was trembling and whining softly from pain but she was too weak to even move.

"Is there anything else you can tell me?" Ruby's mind was already reaching very, very bad conclusions but she had be be as certain as she could before she made that leap. "Please, I need to know everything!"

"M-my lips… they tingled… for a little bit." Her body relaxed as weakness and exhaustion won out over the stimulant, her eyes fluttered shut but even as she feel back into the embrace of sleep, her body still trembled.

"I guess that settles it. I am so so sorry Thistle." A long, pain and rage filled sigh escaped her nose as she grabbed the bed, unlocking the wheels before pushing it forward, rolling the IV stand along with them as she took the girl into the operating room.

Her heart was heavy and it took all of Ruby's strength to hold back the volcano of emotions that threatened to explode forth. Her hands gripped the railing of the bed tight and her jaw clenched, she had never wished for Cinder's company more than she did at that moment. Restraining her torrent of emotions she pushed a button, opening the two doors to the OR, together acting as an airlock for the sterile room.

 _I wish it weren't true… I really wish it weren't._ She didn't know which she felt more, anger, empathy, sadness… or confusion as to why she felt so strongly at all. _I barely know her. Is this really worth it? Do I really want to take it this far for her?_

It was so simple, the answer was clear and right in front of her, in the small, shaking body that quivered and moaned weakly in pain, barely hanging onto life but fighting with everything she had. Thistle was a fighter, it took Ruby less than a second to ascertain that from looking at her, she was strong willed and she was fighting for her life… and that's what made it so much more potent. _Yes, I do._

With a rage filled huff she reached into her pocket, pulling out her scroll as she walked across the operating room, grabbing a large container of of pressurized gaseous anesthetic with warning labels written all over it. Her silver eyes burned with fury and protective conviction as she dragged the container to the door, opening up the first part of the airlock before stepping into the short but otherwise soundproof hallway. Her body already felt heavy with the weight of what she knew she had to do but even so her conviction never wavered as she brought her scroll up to her ear.

 **Ring...**

 **Ring…**

 **Ring…**

"Red, it's been a while. Heard you had Cinder for a patient, that must have been-"

"Roman, I need you to listen." Her tone was cold and serious and had a weight to it, an apprehension with just a hint of excitement that made Torchwick more curious than anything.

"What's going on Doc?" Roman was listening intently now, her voice was unlike anything he had heard from her in a long time. She was clearly in trouble.

"Come to the clinic and do it fast. When you come in, hold your breath and hit the red button on the wall by the stairs. Don't breath until the light above the exam room turns green. Once you're inside and this is very important; inject me with the syringe in my left pocket. Bring Neo and be ready, this is going to get messy." Her heart was racing but she couldn't help it, a smile was on her face and thrill she felt when Cinder held her down all but eclipsed by the anticipation of what she was about to do.

"Alright, we'll be there as soon as we can, we aren't more than ten minutes away. Just be careful Ruby, whatever you're into it sounds dangerous." It was sweet that he was worried. Roman didn't let many people in, he cared about even fewer. Ruby imaged the only people besides himself that he cared about were Neo and herself.

"You should be more worried about my guests." That darkness, that thrill, that energy and that look in her eyes and in her devious smirk. She was a predator and the wrong prey had crossed her.

 **Click!**

 _I'm enjoying this… how did my life- whatever, hows and whys aren't important. All that matters now is doing what I need to do._ With a deep breath Ruby put her Scroll back in her pocket and walked out of the operating room and then…

 **Thud!**

 **Thud!**

 **Thud!**

The valve broke open on the third strike sending a cloud of pressurized gas into the air, it was a big canister, big enough to soon fill the entire compound… all except for the operating room which had its own positive pressure fed in from outside, super purified and cut off from the rest of the building. _You'll be safe Thistle… I'll save you, I promise._

Holding her breath Ruby walked away from the leaking canister, making sure she breathed as little as possible as she walked through each room, propping open every door she could as she made her way slowly and methodically back to the waiting room where they group of men sat in wait for her word on the girl's condition. The timing was perfect, ten minutes for Roman to arrive, the gas would fill the place with the doors open in about that long, there would be no time wasted in saving the girl.

As she reached the final door Ruby took one deep breath, even knowing the invisible, odorless gas was following her, she had to buy time and she couldn't do that if she looked as though she were about to devour them alive. So, she bottled up her rage, pressurizing it in her soul, building it up, making it volatile and explosive, ready to be unleashed when the time was right. With that… she stepped forward, opening the door and propping it open with a small rubbed wedge.

"What's happening to my sister? Is she going to be okay?" Vitali stood up, his voice deeply concerned but then it all made sense to her, she understood everything that was happening and it made. Her. Blood. Boil!

"I'm afraid it's not good news. Her liver is being destroyed by an extremely potent strain of bacterial hepatitis. There's no cure, she's too far gone for antibiotics to help. I'm sorry." She dipped her head solemnly, her eyes glistening with empathy and sorrow for the man.

"No… no! That can't be right! I mean, there has be a way to save her right!?" He put his hand at the smaller woman's shoulders, shaking her roughly as tears pooled in his soft purple eyes. Same hair, same eyes, similar facial features… _They're related alright. I'm called a monster but this… this creature, he's worse than a monster._

"There is one way but the risk of life threatening complications is high… for both of you." For just the briefest of moments, her eyes flashed with bitter hatred but she immediately reeled her feelings back in.

"W-what do you mean?" He sounded afraid… what right did he have to be afraid? This creature was testing the limits of Ruby's meticulously perfected self control.

"She needs a liver transplant. You're her brother Vitali, you're the only one who can reliably give her a liver." She looked him unwaveringly in his eyes, he was bigger than her, hell, in a fight he would probably win, even if she used her Semblance she wasn't much of a fighter. Even so, she didn't see him as anything other than prey.

"I- I could die… you said she could die!? Thistle, she's my sister, I know her! She wouldn't want me to risk it!" He was panicking and it wasn't an act. Ruby found that intriguing, there was still a piece of the puzzle she was missing.

"She will die if you refuse. Your sister will die. Are you really willing to let that happen if there's any chance you can save her?" Her eyes softened and her voice grew tight with heartache. He didn't know it, but she was offering him a chance at redemption… and she really wanted him to take it.

"I- I…. I-" He stuttered and then… he looked to his team, specifically, a shorter, bald man, heavily muscled and his eyes were a deep crimson. Vitali looked to this man and then, the full picture came together… and she nearly lost it, reaching into her pocket for her scalpel, her heart blinded by the most consuming rage she had ever felt in her entire life as she readied to slash his throat on the spot.

"I can't…" Vitali looked away in shame and Ruby let her rage take over… but as she tried to pick up the small but deadly sharp blade… her arm wouldn't move.

"W-what's going on!?" A man shouted as he stood up before immediately collapsing. The gas was taking effect, it was sooner than expected. _I hope Roman… gets here… soon._

She felt herself falling… and then everything went black.

* * *

"Hey, rise and shine Doc." A familiar voice called out from the darkness. She felt a soreness in her arm and then she felt her body being shaken.

"R-Roman…" Ruby mumbled sleepily as her eyes fluttered open, her fight sight greeted by the relieved and smiling face of Torchwick, his green eyes softened with subdued caring.

"You made quite a mess Red," Roman laughed, standing up as he grabbed Ruby's hand in his own, pulling the smaller woman up along with him. The moment she was on her feet Neo and Roman took up her sides, supporting her and walking her over to the front counter.

"I need help." It wasn't an easy admission, she preferred taking her of her business on her own but she needed her friends now.

"Just tell us what you need." It really was that simple.

"Roman, you get these guys sat up in those chairs, take their weapons and keep an eye on them. Neo, I need your help getting supplies. I'm going to need a few more minutes before I can walk on my own, do you remember where they pharmacy is?" Ruby felt like her entire body was made of lead and her mind was still trying to catch up from the anesthesia. Thankfully, her friends were capable and Neo instantly gave a firm nod and a salute.

"Good, then go into the pharmacy, below the counter at the bottom, you'll find a black leather bag. Bring it to me and also, grab me more of the syringes with this label, it will counteract the anesthesia and wake them up." She motioned with her head weakly for Roman to hand Neo the syringe he injected her with and as soon as she had what she needed, Neo took off towards the pharmacy, leaving only Roman supporting her.

"As for you," Roman smirked before Ruby could ask she felt herself being picked up off of her feet, her back and legs supported by his arms as he lifted her up, smiling cheekily at her, more than a little amused by the blush in her cheeks. "You need to rest until you can walk straight again."

"Roman…" Ruby wasn't sure why she was surprised, but every time Torchwick showed his softer side, she found it far too endearing. Looking up into his emerald eyes she couldn't help but feel something for him and Neo both, something powerful and deep. The three of them had been close for years but it was at that moment that Ruby could say, without fear or doubt that she truly loved them.

"Relax, we'll take care of everything, but this better be one hell of a story or we might just charge you." With a smug laugh he gentle and tenderly laid Ruby down on the counter, making sure that even in her weakened state that she wouldn't fall off before he walked away, looking back not once but twice, just to make sure she was okay.

 _I really did make a mess didn't I?_ A warm and content smile formed on her lips and a soft and bright feeling filled her chest. It didn't matter that she was going to do what she had to do, it didn't matter that she would enjoy every minute of it, what mattered right then, was the people she cared about. _And now, that includes you… Thistle._

Ruby watched as Roman set up the unconscious bodies, tying them to the chairs with their belts and laces, something she didn't even consider. He did it without questioning and without hesitation. Soon, Ruby could feel her strength returning, she flexed her muscles, stretched her fingers out before pulling them back into a fist. By the time she was sitting up, Neo had returned with a handful of syringes and her little black bag.

"Okay… time to get to work." With a heavy sigh Ruby sat herself up and hopped down from the counter, nearly losing her balance but having the strength to stay upright on her own. "Roman, Neo, start injecting them with these to wake them up and then I'll do the rest."

"Whatever you say boss." The sarcastic tone in his voice was duly noted, to Ruby's simultaneous annoyance and amusement.

As the two of them injected the sleeping enemies Ruby threw her bag over her shoulder walking slowly and steadily over to them as she opened the pouch, searching through her bag and pulling out another set of syringes, following behind Roman and Neo injected them with whatever mysterious drug was in that bag.

"So, now that we've got that taken care of, mind telling us what the hell is going on? Since when do you go and gas yourself and your entire clinic? Who are these people? What did they do to get on your bad side and more importantly… what are you going to do with them next?" That last question was really getting Roman curious and excited, Ruby imaged this was the most fun he'd had all day. If she was being honest, it would have been the most fun she'd had all day if it weren't for Cinder's surprise visit. _Though I suppose this next part is where the actual fun begins. I'm not sure how much I'll be able to enjoy it though… knowing Thistle is dying only five rooms away._

"Sorry but that would ruin the surprise. Don't worry, I have an entire thing planned, I know how you like to go on monologues so I thought I'd give it a try." Ruby blushed once again, this time accompanied by a bashful grin.

"Damn it, you're just as difficult as Neo aren't you?" He sighed in very sound defeat, knowing he couldn't do anything against that face. _What can I say, I've got a soft spot for the kid._

"W-what did you do… you bitch." Ruby turned around to the sluggish voice, the bald, muscular man woke up first followed by the rest of his crew.

"Okay, I guess it's time to start." Instantly Ruby perked up and a warm, amiable smile formed on her lips as she walked over to them. "Hello, my name is Doctor Ruby Rose, I'm a specially trained trauma surgeon and have a double specialty in hematology and neurology. I have three PhDs and two master's degrees and over thirty patents. I own this clinic as well as having several other off the books and on the books operations around Remnant and you… poisoned Thistle."

With those last few words her eyes turned as cold as ice and the bloodlust in her voice was palpable, even Roman and Neo felt a chill run down their spines as she approached them. Their expressions were a mix between the eight of them ranging from justified terror to futile defiance to crushing guilt. Whatever they did, whoever Thistle was, Roman knew one thing. _They're special to Ruby, and poisoning them was the last mistake they'll ever make._

"Don't say anything!" The bald man commanded, barking an order at the other men.

"Oh I wouldn't be so brave if I were you. You see, I've injected you with a powerful muscle relaxer so you won't be able to fight or flee. You're at my mercy now… and I have none." With a dark and horrific tone in her voice Ruby reached into her bag and pulled out a syringe, this one different from the last, smaller and filled with a clear liquid.

"Do you want to know what's in this syringe?" Ruby asked with a chillingly happy smile.

"Fuck off bitch!" The bald man spat bitterly, but Ruby wasn't fooled, he was pretending to be tough but she could practically taste his fear.

"It's a special concoction. A mix of capsaicin to cause instant and agonizing pain, drugs that trigger neuropathy to keep the pain going, a mild paralytic to keep you from killing yourself as your agony grows, a pyretic to give you the most intense fever of your life and just for fun… a powerful hallucinogen. Oh! And liver and kidney enzyme inhibitors to keep your body from processing the drugs, making the pain and misery and torment last for days and I have plenty to make sure you suffer for as long as I want." The whole time, her smile never once darkened, it was just as pure and happy as they day Roman first met her. "I call it Hell Fire. You'll see why soon."

"W-we won't talk!" The bald man tried his best, the poor man tried, but he just couldn't remain strong in the face of a true predator, a true monster. He knew that he was her prey now, they all were and the only thing that would sate her appetite… was answers.

"Hmm, well perhaps a demonstration!" She beamed excitedly like a child, humming as she looked from man to man, her eyes lingering more than once on Vitali but after a moment… they fell on a terrified looking man, younger than the bald man or Vitali, in his early twenties with curly black hair and brown eyes.

"You don't look like you have the balls to do this yourself but I bet you know who on your team does." Ruby walked over to him, her smile unwavering as she knelt down at his feet, grabbing arm and turning it upwards to expose his veins. "Hey! You have pretty good viens!"

"P-please! Please don't!" He was crying and his breaths were rapid and shallow, his eyes as wide as she had ever seen anyone's as she looked directly into them, never blinking or ceasing her grin for a moment as she slowly plunged the needle into his arm, looking as though she was taking great pleasure in every millimeter she pushed the plunger down as the Hell Fire spewed into his blood steam.

"Grrrr… M- make it stop! Make it stop! Aaaaaaaaaah! God make stop! Gah!" He was in almost instant agony as the capsaicin seared his nerves, all of them as it coursed through his body, burning him alive like flames eating away at him.

"Listen, if you tell me who was behind this I can make it stop." Gentle and compassionate, her eyes and voice dripped with those tender qualities as she held his hands softly in her own. "Please, I don't want you to suffer more than you have to. Just tell me whose idea this was."

"It- it was…. Grrrrrr! It was Tas!" He could barely speak through the agony as his body trembled and the fever began to set in.

"Oh? And which one is Tas?" Ruby looked up from man writhing pathetically in torment even against the muscle relaxers. For just a moment she was able to follow the eyes of the other men before they looked away in fear… but it was enough. _So, the bald man was behind this. I'm not surprised._

"Make it stop!" He screamed, tears rolling down his cheeks mingling with the sweat the soaked his entire flushed body.

"Thank you for your help, I really appreciate it." Her voice was happy and silvery as she stood up, reaching into her lab coat pocket as she leaned over closer to him, gently running her fingers through his hair. "It will only hurt for a minute."

In an instant her gaze and voice turned to ice and in a blur she pulled his head back by his hair and then… she pulled out her scalpel. Without pause, without hesitation and without mercy she slashed down with the precision only a surgeon could have, slicing a gaping cute straight down his jugular. Crimson sprayed out like a beautiful fountain glistening in the white fluorescent light. Ruby didn't have time to pull her hand away as his hot blood washed over her bare hand. She could feel it rushing over her skin with each rapidly diminishing pulse, the warmth and the smell of fresh blood… it was a very potent experience. As his last pathetic gurgles died down Ruby reached her blood soaked hand up, moving her fingers against each other, slicked by the blood that soaked her hand. _I still don't feel bad…_

"Okay, who's next?" Her unsettlingly cheerful grin returned, juxtaposed against the blood spattered on her hand, her arm and the small drops of crimson that dotted her face. "I'm just kidding, I think I get the whole picture now."

"You, Tas, are did not like Thistle for whatever reason. I don't think you're the second in line though to take control from her, I'm guessing that goes to Vitali. Somehow you convinced him to take her out so he could take her position and you'd be second in command. Vitali is weak, Thistle is not. You knew he'd be so much easier to push around, if fact, you're probably the one who fostered his latent ambitions." The once bold Tas was now far, far too terrified to even speak, he could barely look at her. They were from different worlds… they had stepped into the wrong monster's lair… and they were going to die.

"I didn't… I didn't know it would go this far…" Vitali whined, his voice choked by a weak and pathetic sob that sent Ruby's fury into a new high.

"You didn't want to know!" She screamed, her rage burning over as she stormed up to him, fidgeting with her scalpel in her hand the entire time, just barely holding herself back from killing him.

"She's your sister! You're her big brother! You're supposed to protect her! You're supposed to love her! She's your family Vitali! You let this happen! She's dying now and it's because her big brother wanted power! You killed your little sister for power!" Her heart was pounding and adrenaline surged through her body, even the blood that freshly soaked her felt cold to her skin as her body burned with rage.

"I- I- you have no idea how badly I want to hurt you. I want to tie you down so you can't move, I want to cut the skin from your flesh right down your chest, spread it open before cutting down to your bone before I rip out your liver all while you're still awake and keep you alive long enough to see me give your life to her! She deserves to live not you!" She was panting for breath, she could barely hear her own words through the pounding of her heart but more than anything… she felt her eyes sting as tears welled up, glistening in her pain filled silver gaze before rolling down her cheeks, mingling with the blood spattered on her face as she cried.

"But… that's not my decision to make." With a heavy, stressed exhale she relaxed her body, trying to grasp at any semblance of composure she had left. "You used Death Cap toxin to poison her right?"

"Anyone who answers right now won't get a dose of Hell Fire for the next month!" The hate, the malice in her voice, they knew she was serious. She wanted them to suffer.

"Y-yes." It was barely a whisper that left Tas' lips as he looked with horror and pleading to the Doctor of Death and the way she smiled back at him… nearly turned his blood to ice.

"Thank you." She said softly before turning back to Vitali. "I will save your sister and will be donating your liver. I can take three fourths of it without killing you."

"Roman!" Ruby called out, turning to the two onlookers, Neo watching with pure glee and Roman looking more than a little entertained. With a smaller, more genuine smile Ruby threw the bag over to them. "Inject them all with Hell Fire, let it linger for an hour and then… kill them all."

"This is the most ruthless I've seen you in a while Red, this girl must be something special." He smirked as he bent over, grabbing the black leather bag.

"Yes. She is." Ruby wasn't even sure herself what that meant but something about Thistle just… made Ruby care. Knowing that her sibling did something so horrible brought out the worst in Ruby but even so, she didn't know if that was enough to justify what she was doing. _But I don't care._

"Actually, let Neo do the injections, she looks like she could use the release. You can help me drag Vitali into the OR and help me prep for surgery. After that, give them their last miserable hour and then kill them. Oh, but let Neo kill Tas, she's more sadistic than you." She winked at the pink and brown haired woman who was smiling like she'd just been given the best christmas present ever. "Have fun with him, you deserve it."

With that Neo swiped the bag from Roman and bounced off with a spring in her step towards her victims. Ruby couldn't help but think just how cute Neo looked when she was like that. Still, as Ruby walked away towards the OR while Ruby got Vitali… her smile faded and all her thoughts turned towards Thistle. Behind her she could already hear the agonized screams of her traitorous team. Still, only one thing rang louder in Ruby's mind than the screaming... _I will save you._

* * *

The darkness… it was nice. It was comfortable. She didn't dream, she didn't feel… she wasn't anything. She felt a peace… but the, something called to her, something warm and soft. Something gentle the lulled her from her slumber, dragging her into the world of the living once again. As she followed the warmth new sensations flowed through her; at first, just a touch, tender and loving. Then, she felt the pain, a deep permeating pain that radiated out from her chest and stomach touching everything that was her. She wanted to retreat back into the darkness… but that touch compelled her to keep going.

"V-Vitali…" She mumbled weakly before her eyes even opened. Her eyelids were heavy but within moments she compelled them to move, opening them and letting in the soft white light from the ceiling. Her vision was blurry but she could make out a shape, something slender and pale. In moments, she realized she was looking at a forearm and then she realized, the touch she was feeling was that tender hand softly and lovingly stroking her head.

"I'm definitely not Vitali. Do you remember me?" A girl with a warm, caring smile leaned over, her long black hair hung in a ponytail over her shoulder tipped red at their ends. "We met earlier but you weren't feeling very well."

"I- I think… Ruby?" Thistle blinked, everything was a blur but she definitely remembered that face, bright, rosy, softly rounded and those stunning silver eyes that just dripped caring.

"That's right! I'm happy you remember me!" She did look genuinely happy.

"Where's my brother and my team?" Thistle asked hazily trying to sit up before a firm hand carefully pushed her back down.

"Hey! No getting up! You just got out of a very intensive surgery so you need to take it easy." Ruby huffed, folding her arms over her chest as she scolded her patient. Then, her eyes softened with sorrow and empathy and her hands fell into her lap. "As for your team… I killed them."

"You… what?" Thistle's eyes grew wide and her mouth gaped but Ruby merely shook her head softly.

"They poisoned you Thistle." Ruby wanted to look away but she forced her eyes to stay on Thistle as she continued gently petting her head, running her fingers through her soft red hair. "All of them, including your brother. I needed to know exactly what they did to you so I captured them and got the truth… the whole truth. When I found out why they did what they did I just- I just wanted to destroy them. So I did."

"You're lying!" Thistle's heart immediately started racing and the air around her began to crackle and hiss as her Semblance flared, her teeth bared and her jaw clenched in rage.

"Vitali is still alive." Ruby said softly, pulling her hand away and standing up before turning around to the curtain the surrounded them. She gave one last long, sorrowful look to Thistle before turning her head and pulling the curtain back.

"Vitali!" She immediately regretted crying out as it sent an intense wave of pain ripping through her entire body but even as she winced from the agony she kept one eye open on her brother, her was alive and he was awake… but he wouldn't look at her.

"Tell her everything you told me, and I mean everything. Otherwise you'll be the last of your team to taste my Hell Fire." At the mention of the horrific concoction Vitali tensed up, a cold, primal fear gripped his heart and with the threat of suffering like his team had, he relented to Ruby's will.

"It's true… we poisoned you. Tas was the one who came up with the idea but I- I went along with it." He looked so ashamed but the tears in his eyes only made Ruby want to cut out the rest of his liver.

"Vitali please, is she making you say this!? You don't have to listen to her! I can protect you! I can-"

"I don't need your damn protection!" He shouted and pain did nothing to stifle his anger as huffed, her purple eyes burning into hers with indignant hatred. "You should never have been the leader! I was supposed to be next! I was supposed to be the one to take over from Dad but you and your damn Semblance, you made us all look weak! You're small, you're young, you're a little girl! We were humiliated taking orders from you! None of that was as humiliating as the fact that you were the best of us. That damned power of yours… you don't have any right to it! It should have been mine!"

"Vitali…" Her voice was… so broken. Her eyes shimmered with tears before the warm drops rolled down her cheeks. Ruby wanted to do something, anything to help, she wanted to hold Thistle and murder Vitali, but she knew that she could do neither and it was burning her up inside.

"How could you?" A whisper as soft and gentle as the lightest breeze but with all the pain of a broken heart left her lips. "You can't mean those things Vitali… I love you."

"My sister is a cursed monster, a beast. I could never love something like that." He spat bitterly. Ruby had to give him credit, he knew he was about to die so he finally stopped being a coward.

"Please… Vitali… you can't mean that." Her lip quivered and her heart rate kept rising but the pain in her chest was the furthest thing from her mind as she looked at her brother, someone who had raised her, someone she looked up to… it was clear in his eyes; he hated her.

"Thistle, I have a proposition for you." Ruby walked up to her, falling to her knees by Thistle's bed, bringing her at eye level with the smaller woman. Then, Ruby held up a remote with a single red button and with a smile, placed it in Thistle's hand. "If you push that button, it will deliver an overdose of morphine to your brother. He'll die, peacefully and painlessly, drifting off in his sleep."

Thistle's eyes widened, staring down at the remote and then back to her brother who was now looking at her in terror, selfish, primal terror. Ruby stood up and resumed gently touching the woman, feeling her warmth, the softness of her skin and beat of her heart through her forehead as she played with a lock of red between her fingers.

"It's up to you. He betrayed you. He hates you. He was going to kill you, his little sister, someone he is supposed to love and protect, he was going to let you die from a terrible poison. He let you suffer for a week before he brought you to me, believing there wasn't a thing I could do for you. He didn't want you to live, he just wanted to make himself feel better about killing you. If my sibling did that to me, I know what I would do." Ruby narrowed her eyes dangerously at him, her jaw clenched and her gaze burning with hatred for the man.

"I… I…" Thistle was shaking, her Semblance again making the air tremble at her power. Tears flowed every harder from her pain filled eyes as her thumb hovered shakily over the button, nearly hitting it several times before pulling back, each time her anger only growing stronger.

"I can't!" Thistle shouted, dropping the remote down onto the bed before holding her face in her hands… and crying, no amount of physical pain could stem their flow as she sobbed uncontrollably, the only solace in the world that she had, was the gentle touch of the doctor that stood over her.

"Yeah, that's what I would have done too." Ruby's eyes shined with admiration and pride as she carefully picked up the remote.

 **Click!**

"What did you do!?" Thistle shouted desperately, looking over to her brother with a mix of hate, fear and love.

"Nothing actually, this is just some broken alarm button to call a nurse I don't have." She giggled to herself, clicking the button a few more times before tossing it haphazardly on the floor. Catching her breath from her small fit of laughter she walked over to Vitali and pulled out a small syringe. "This however, will give us some privacy to talk and he can sleep through the pain."

Still overcome with relief and not dying, the cowardly Vitali embraced the sleep imposed on him, getting himself comfortable before closing his eyes and letting the drugs take him away. Ruby discarded the spend needle before walking back over to Thistle with a spring in her step, sitting down on the chair by her bedside.

"So… we need to talk business." Ruby smirked, crossing her legs and resting her hands in her lap as she looked down excitedly at Thistle.

"Business?" She looked nervous. _Maybe she should be… maybe I should be nervous but… I'm not._

"You see, we're an off the books clinic here and we don't accept insurance. I really doubt you have the money to pay for all the services, not to mention the damages and clean up from all of this so you'll need to find another way to pay me back." Her smirk grew more devious as she leaned forward, brushing aside her hair, looming over the redhead, making even the brave Thistle shrink back in fear.

"I have a deal I'm going to offer you in exchange for services rendered, I do hope you'll take it." Then, like a switch had been flicked, her entire demeanor changed, softening with genuine hope and caring and… warmth. "I want you to stay and be my assistant. You'll live here, you'll have a nice place to sleep, you'll be warm, you'll never be hungry and I can take care of you. You'll have a lot of hard work to do but I think in time you'll like it here…"

"You want me… to be your assistant?" Thistle blinked in… well, she wasn't sure what she felt. The idea of her being anyone's assistant would have been absurd to her a week ago, she was a mercenary, a leader, a fighter! How could anyone think she would be okay with being a mere assistant? Even as those thoughts raged in her mind, her heart told her something else something that shined with hope.

"Yeah, it'll be fun! Look, I'm not very good with people, I've been working pretty much alone for a while and if I'm being honest, I get lonely, it would be nice to just have someone else around, someone my age, someone I could talk to… someone who won't leave me." For only an instant Thistle could see the scar of a deep wound with those last words, something deep and painful that she didn't want to talk about but decided to bring up anyone. Thistle knew then, Ruby was sincere.

"I guess I could give it a try…" It was barely a mutter but she had already made up her mind. Her crew was dead and her brother was dead to her. She could barely move and she knew she would have a long recovery ahead. _Besides, this Ruby girl is interesting. Maybe I'll give following a try, apparently I'm a shitty leader._

"I'm so happy to hear you say that!" Ruby positively beamed with delight as she shot up from her chair. "You're going to love it! I promise, this is the start of your new life!"

"I've had a kinda rough day, mind if you put me out too? I'd like some sleep." Thistle tried to smile but the turmoil and pain made that nearly impossible. Even so, Ruby obliged.

"By the way," Ruby smiled as she injected the mild sedative into her IV. "You're really even more beautiful with your braid down."

"I- I am?" Many people had used many words to describe her but beautiful wasn't one of them. She tried to shake her head but she could barely smile as her body grew tired and weak. She longed for that embrace of darkness… so she let it take her.

* * *

"So that's it, that's how I met Ruby and became her assistant. Though I kinda sucked at paperwork, people and medical stuff so she made me her bodyguard instead." Thistle shrugged as she took a drag off her cigarette, herself and the cat faunus had eventually made their way outside the Underworld, both leaning against the wall by the entrance.

"What happened to your brother?" Blake had a lot to process and she wasn't even sure where to begin. She had learned so much about Ruby but also a lot about Thistle. There was so much about them that she didn't know and with everything she learned, she just felt more… confused.

"Ruby had Roman and Neo drop his ass off somewhere with one fourth of his liver." She blew out a cloud of white, fragrant smoke, looking wistfully at the sky.

"How are you okay with what she did to your friends? I know they poisoned you but-"

"They betrayed me, they were my family, I would have died for any of them but they left me to die, slowly and miserably." The bitterness of that day even two years later was still fresh in her voice. "Look, the point of this story is that Ruby isn't a monster. She cares about us, she loves us. She's not like Tass and Vitali or the White Fang or even Cinder… she's just a little girl who wants to protect the people she loves. She will never betray us, I never thought I could trust someone so much after what happened but… I would die for her, without hesitation."

"Why do you think… she chose us?" Blake's ears shot up the moment the words left her mouth, she didn't even mean to say that but… it had been weighing on her mind for a while. Both Cinder and Yang said that she was special to Ruby, Roman said that Thistle was special to Ruby. 'What exactly does that mean?'

"I honestly don't know." Another resigned shrug. "Maybe love at first sight."

"Seriously?" Blake deadpanned, folding her arms over her chest looking dubiously at Thistle.

"Look, all I know is that this life, it's dangerous and it's short. You and I were on the brink of death when Ruby found us and she saved us, just like she does with so many others. In this life that could end any day, you learn fast, if you want something, you take it." Thistle threw her cigarette to the ground half finished, snuffing it out with the sole of her shoe.

"Then can I ask you one more personal question?" Blake's ears relaxed and her arms fell to her sides making herself as unthreatening and disarming as possible.

"Fuck it, why not?" Thistle Tsvetok, queen of eloquence.

"Are you in love with Ruby?" Instantly, Thistle froze, Blake expected that. What Blake didn't expect was the tightness in her own chest.

"What about you? Are you in love with her?" Thistle fumbled for another cigarette, lighting it in her lips before taking a deep breath of the calming smoke. "Before you go whining about who asked first I just told you my life story so suck it up."

"I…" She wasn't expecting the tables to be turned on her but she knew there was no arguing with Thistle. _So why don't I just say no? I'm not in love with Ruby… right? Could I be? Was the potential there? Is it still there? I feel so confused and Thistle's story only made it worse. Love at first sight? That's not even real! That's- that's the stuff of fairytales. So then… why is it so hard to say no?_

"I don't know how I feel about her." It was the truth and after all the Thistle had told her, she at least deserved the truth.

"Well, I do." She took in another lungful of smoke before releasing it. "I am in love with Ruby. I've been in love with her for a long time."

"So then why haven't you taken Ruby for yourself if you want her so badly?" There wasn't a hint of animosity in her voice, merely a desire to understand in the faint hope that maybe it would help her understand her own feelings.

"It's because Ruby is… she's special alright? You know that, you've seen it, otherwise you would have left the moment you saw her torture that guy." She turned to face Blake, her eyes locked on onto Blake's soft amber, watching her reaction carefully.

"How can I feel okay about this? How can I even want to feel okay with everything she's done?" She could only shake her head, her cat ears drooping ever so slightly. "At least, if I leave… she has you."

With a trembling sigh Blake turned around and opened the door, unable to bear any more and just wishing to lay down in her bed and fall asleep, putting everything aside and just escaping for as long as she could. Deep down though, she knew a choice would have to be made soon… as she didn't like either of her options.

"There's just one problem with that…" Thistle whispered to herself, falling against the wall and looking up to the sky, watching the smoke waft up from the smoldering end of her cigarette. _I don't think I'm the one that Ruby wants._


	9. Past, Present and Future: Part 3

_Now what?_ It was a simple question but one she hadn't been able to answer since the day she first saw Ruby's darker side in the small interrogation room. It seemed like that with every new thing she learned about Ruby, Blake only found herself more confused. _Thistle's story yesterday didn't help either._

 _Thistle had a very different take away from the day she met Ruby than I did. Thistle says Ruby is just a scared little girl desperate to protect the people she loved but I've seen it, she really enjoys making people suffer, she likes the fear she commands and based on Thistle's story, she likes killing. Any rational person would call her a monster… but why do I still feel bad for saying that to her?_ Blake let out a long sigh, rolling onto her back, sinking slightly into the obscenely comfy mattress as she stared up at her bedroom ceiling wearing her work clothes; a button up white long sleeve top, the cuffs unbuttoned, left to hang from her wrists and at her waist she wore black, skin tight jeans.

 _I've seen two Rubys since I've known her. One that's warm and soft, one that doesn't like to get up in the morning, the one that love to cuddle and be loved. That Ruby has a pure and loving smile, those sparkling silver eyes that were just brimming with light. That Ruby, the light one, she's always there when she's caring for a patient or when… she's with either of us, not on a job but just relaxing or learning. That Ruby is sweet and affectionate, sometimes a little too affectionate but I- I like her._ Blake was helpless to stop the grin that forced its way onto her lips as she thought about the doctor. A barely audible laugh escaped her lips as she draped her wrist over her forehead, her hand facing up towards the ceiling.

 _Then, there's the other Ruby. This Ruby is dark, cunning, ruthless, merciless and terrifying. She's willing to do whatever she has to, anything at all no matter how cruel to get what she wants. This Ruby takes great pleasure in what she does, she enjoys the suffering those in her way and seems to revel in her power and position. She's dangerous, she fierce and she's a monster… but she loves us just like the other Ruby. The Ruby that killed Thistle's old mercenary group did it because she cared for Thistle enough to do those things, having only known her for a moment she felt strongly enough to take seven lives._ She wasn't sickened by the thought like she figured she'd be. They tried to hurt Thistle and what her brother did to her, what the people she trusted did to her, Blake didn't feel sorry for them, even considering she knew what kind of pain Hell Fire caused. _Am I turning into a monster too?_

 _Both Rubys have so much love and caring in her heart for Thistle and myself… but why? I get Thistle now because she's been with Ruby for two years but back then? And what about me? I've only been by Ruby's side for two months and yet she asked me to stay with her. Thistle said love at first sight but that can't be it… just what is going on inside Ruby's head?_ She couldn't help feeling like she was dancing around the main issue but she also knew it wasn't getting her anywhere beating her head against the question.

 _Do I really need to stay though? Thistle said that she's in love with Ruby, me being here is just getting in the way of them. Thistle is more comfortable with dark Ruby, Thistle can look past all the horrible things Ruby has done like they were nothing. I- I…_ There it was, that wall, those words that she kept circling around to couldn't even bring herself to drag to the front of her mind. She didn't want it to be true, she didn't want to think like that but the more she thought about it, the more certain she felt that it was the truth. Blake shut her eyes softly, giving a deep but gentle breath, clearing her heart and steeling her mind as she reached out, trying to grab a hold of the only thing that felt like an answer, no matter how painful it may be.

"I don't belong here." Those left such a bad taste that as they left her lips she wished she could take them back.

"I think you do." A soft, meek voice barely more than a whisper spoke timidly and hopefully but with no small amount of fear and hurt from the threshold of the door to Blake's room.

"Ruby!" Blake shot up, her eyes wide and her cat ears drooped in guilt, her chest felt tight and her heart only ached for the sad little girl looking at her half concealed behind the doorframe as she peered in.

"Blake… I think we need to talk. We having spoken since that autopsy and I miss you." She frowned, looking so much like a child that did something wrong and was hoping that they could make it better even though they didn't know how to.

"I…" She froze, staring into those glistening silver eyes that held equal parts hope and pain on their surface, she just froze. With a barely noticeable shake of her head she pushed her feelings back, just slightly before giving the softest sigh. _I'm not ready… not right this second._

"Yeah, we need to talk." She wished she could keep avoiding the problem, she wished she could stay and run away at the same time… but she knew, today, sooner or later, they would have to bring every to bear.

"Can it maybe wait until tonight? Yang's gonna be here any minute and I want you to meet her, maybe spend some time with her. So, until tonight… can things go back to normal? No torture, no killing, no Cinder, no Roman or Neo, no bodies or schemes… just us. Can- can you please, just for a little bit longer… be us?" Each word was like a wrecking ball to Blake's heart, every syllable was strained with barely held back tears she looked pleadingly towards the faunus, still half hiding herself, a gesture desiring some semblance of safety in the moment of unbearable uncertainty as she waited for her assistant's answer.

"Okay Ruby, l think I'd like that." Under those big puppy dog eyes, endearing frown and the way she just looked so vulnerable, it really was like she was an entirely different person from the darker Ruby. _So the question remains… which one is the real her?_

"Thank you…" Her lip and voice quivered as she stepped forward, her hands held up to her chest, still feeling vulnerable while she approached the softly smiling cat faunus. "Can I maybe… do you think I could hold you? Just for a minute?"

That caught her off guard, but she wasn't sure why. Blake had already learned that Ruby cherished physical intimacy, even if she didn't seem ready or willing to let it elevate to a romantic relationship or sex. Ruby loved touching and warmth and as Blake thought back to how it felt when Ruby clung tightly to her the night they all shared a bed… Ruby had a lot of warmth to give too. Her ears stood up atop her head and an inviting smile formed on her lips as she gave a small but firm nod. _After all, we might not get this again and… this is how I'd like to remember her._

Ruby's eyes instantly lit up and her face shined like the sun as she beamed with happiness, her hands fell to her sides as she rushed exuberantly forward, throwing herself on Blake's bed or more accurately, right at Black with her arms outstretched, tackling the faunus down before their bodies fell back onto the mattress. After a few stunned moments Blake looked down from the ceiling to find strands of black, red tipped hair tickling her face and a weight resting on top of her, little heavy but… comfortable.

"Blake…" Ruby cooed softly with a giggle in her voice as she squirmed around on top of her assistant, taking deep breaths of her scent until she got herself comfortable, resting her cheek along Blake's warm neck, along her artery where her hot blood rushed to her brain propelled by her racing heart. Ruby could feel it through the sensitive nerves on her face, the way her artery shifted ever so slightly with each beat of her heart combined with the soft sound of her breaths as her lungs filled and emptied. The doctor wrapped her arms around her friend, holding her tight and close, taking in her warmth, the way she felt, her shape and every nuance she could, holding onto the bliss of the moment, her content and elated smile never leaving her face she she relaxed on top of her.

"Hey Ruby." She was happy… and she didn't know how to feel about that. In her heart a fire was ignited and almost on instinct she wrapped her arms around the woman, holding her tight against her chest. She felt a powerful, almost consuming desire to protect Ruby, to keep her smiling and keep her warm and help her get her what she wanted… no matter what. It was a feeling so warm a passionate that Blake barely had the strength of will to fight against it, no matter how tempting the idea of forgetting everything was.

"Yes Blake?" Her voice was dreamy and soft, the weak vibration of her humm sent pleasant shivered through Blake's neck all the way up to the tips of her ears that flicked with the sensation.

"Would you cook us dinner tonight?" Blake gave in to Ruby's whims like she always did, pressing her cheek against her silky smooth hair, taking in the scent of coconut and honey from her shampoo as well as her own personal, unique scent, something that made Blake feel safe and at home.

"Sure! I'd love to! Anything in particular that you want?" Ruby scooted down until Blake's chin rested atop her head and at that moment, she felt like she could just close her eyes and fall asleep. She wasn't even tired, she just felt that safe and warm.

"Hmm… tuna." She could already feel her mouth watering.

"I can do that but we'll have to go shopping." Ruby snuggled up as much as she could, shifting her body on top of Blake and the faunus responding by squeezing her just a little tighter. Now that she thought of it, they hadn't done anything normal like shopping since she had gotten out of the recovery room after her surgery.

"Shopping actually sounds fun." For some reason, something so mundane just seemed like a good time with Ruby and Thistle.

"Why don't we all go out? Once Yang gets here and we get her settled in we can all go out to the store together. Though I think we'll have to take my SUV because our normal ride isn't very spacious." Ruby seemed to be just as into the idea as Blake, maybe even more.

"It sounds like a good idea… maybe we could all pick out our favorite foods." The last part Blake mused out loud, it didn't seem fair that she got her favorite but Ruby and Thistle didn't get theirs. _What even is their favorite foods? If I had to guess, I'd give Ruby something sweet, maybe baked good like cake or cookies. For Thistle? Probably something like steak or ribs, she seems like the kind of person who'd even want their diet to be tough._

"I love that!" Ruby bolted up, her weight pressing down on Blake's shoulders as she held herself up, grinning excitedly. However, Blake felt something else entirely as Ruby pinned her shoulders to the bed.

"We…" Blake stared up at Ruby, her thoughts were moving too fast and they were all a blur behind a fire growing in her chest, spreading from her heart and leaching into her veins, her body almost spilling over with the blissful heat. "We should probably get upstairs."

"Right. We want to be there for Yang when she gets here." Blake was surprised at how Ruby's voice teetered between excitement and disappointment, giving it another tone entirely. Still, that thought was burned away as Ruby looked longingly into her amber eyes and then, Blake felt Ruby hold her down just a little harder.

 _Maybe… maybe I'm ready. If I say how I really feel… maybe she'll stay._ Now Ruby's heart was pounding and her gaze burned with determination, fear and conviction. She gulped down, trying to compel herself forward as she stared down at Blake, hoping that the faunus wouldn't notice quite how much her hands were shaking on her shoulders. _I can do this._

"Blake… I need to tell you something." She paused but she could see Blake's cheeks were already tinted red, her eyes fixed on Ruby as she worked up the courage she needed. "Blake I… I-"

 **Bzzzzzz!**

A frantic buzzing from her pocket stole her thoughts and her momentum, in its wake was nothing but fear and resignation. With a dejected sigh, Ruby slowly released Blake, letting her fingers linger over her shoulders for as long as she could before reaching into her pocket and pulling out her Scroll.

"Yang is here… we need to go up to the clinic." She closed her eyes and, taking one last deep breath, hoping to capture something of Blake, just a little more closeness… before she pulled away, standing up and turning around, her fist clenched tight around her Scroll at her side. _I have to tell her. I will tell her before tonight is over._

"Okay…" The word left her lips as though anything Ruby had just said barely registered. She was nearly out of breath and she wasn't even sure why, her heart was pounding and her entire body felt strange… a good kind of strange. _What was she about to tell me? Was she really going to say that she's in lo- no. No! Stop it! I just can't, I can't do this now!_

"I'm coming." She tried to shake it off but even as she followed Ruby out of her room, even after she turned the light off, Blake felt the sensation lingering in her blood. Her ears and cheeks still felt hot and shoulders where Ruby held her down tingled pleasantly and try as she might, she couldn't stop her eyes from drifting back to the young woman, looking at her in a different light than before. She was definitely a beautiful creature, her long black hair flowed down to her mid back tied into a ponytail that swayed softly along with her hips as she walked. _This isn't good…_

Ruby and Blake walked silently down the stained concrete halls of their home. It was beautiful and clean and more than anything, it really did feel like home. Blake felt safe, she felt comfortable and she felt at peace with her surroundings. In the White Fang one never stays in the same place for long and for a while, she actually liked that life. _But now, having a home, having a family again… having these feelings. I want to give into them, I want to stay… I want to stay with her._

At once they stepped onto the surface of the elevator that would take them up to the Underworld, the clinic where Blake's new life supposedly began. Still, her senses were attuned to the woman by her side, her ears alert to every breath, her sense of smell heightened and her eyes constantly drifting back to her, picking up on all of her subtle details. The way she stood with her hands in her pockets, her fingers fidgeting with their contents, the way she rocked ever so slightly on her heels when she was nervous, all of it was like a new discovery for Blake and each time she noticed something new, it made her feel good. It was all she could do to try and act casual as the elevator ascended from its place in the middle of the floor, rising up until they stood in the clinic's lobby, the floor of the clinic now touching the ceiling after being pushed up by the elevator.

 _Ruby's nervous and tense, I'm barely keeping myself together. Thistle is definitely going to notice… why does it matter if she does? Oh… right, because she's in love with Ruby. What about me? What am I feeling? What should I be feeling? What do I want to feel?_ She wanted to shout, to let out the pent up stress that felt like it would tear her apart from the inside before much longer as they stepped off the elevator and approached the stairs. _I want to feel scared… I am scared. I'm terrified of Ruby, of what she does, what she is… and what she might turn me into. I should feel repulsed, I should hate her, I should think of her like I think of Adam. I should leave… I should leave before-_

 **Click!**

Blakes thoughts were interrupted by the touch of a button on Ruby's scroll before the room began to vibrate ever so slightly as a mechanical humm filled the air. Blake watched in awe as a metal ramp descended from the top step, covering the stairs and giving an inclined access to the clinic. A small resigned laugh left her lips as she shook her head at herself. _Even after two months this place still has its surprises._

Then… Blake's smile faded away as the door opened. Warm white light streamed in from outside along with a rush of hot summer air. Two silhouettes appeared at the threshold, she could recognize one as Thistle but as they descended, out of the overwhelming light, Blake saw who they were waiting for. It was a woman with short blonde hair and lilac eyes, close in shade to the bodyguard's. However, those details were far from Blake's mind as she watched Thistle roll the woman down the ramp, holding onto the back of her wheelchair.

"Yang!" Ruby squeaked before rushing over to her sister, meeting her sister and Thistle as soon as they reached the floor before the young doctor threw her arms around Yang, nearly knocking all three of them over if it weren't for Thistle's impressive strength as Ruby jumped into Yang's lap.

"It's good to see you too Sis." Yang giggled at her sister's energy, her arms laying in on the chair beside her legs. The elder sister wore a beautiful white dress with thin straps on her shoulders that flowed down to her knees, the hem of the dress burning yellow like fire crawling up her body. However, what took Blake's attention was a rigid black plastic band that wrapped around her head, her short bangs barely covering the top of it.

"Ruby you need to be more careful." Thistle scolded, letting go of the back of Yang's wheelchair.

"Oh she's alright, not like I can feel a thing anyway." She would have shrugged and her dismissive, playful smirk gave Blake a good idea about her laid-back personality.

"No, Thistle is right. You might not feel if I hurt you but it doesn't mean that I- ouch! Yang!" Ruby rubbed her head, puffing out her cheeks after receiving a playful headbutt from her sister.

"I'm paralyzed but I'm not fragile, it'll take more than your scrawny butt to hurt me." Yang chuckled before leaning her head forwards ever so slightly, seeming to struggle with even that as she gentle brushed her cheek against Ruby's with a happy but wistful smile on her lips.

"I'm happy you're home." There were those words again… and they sounded almost exactly the same. The tenderness and love behind them as she rubbed her cheek against Yang's before gently kissing her forehead under the plastic band. Home meant something special to Ruby, Blake was sure of that now. She wanted the Underworld to be a home for everyone she loved…

 _A place where she can keep us safe._ That hit her like train, a wave of powerful feelings that ripped through her doubt and her confusion, parting the clouds in her mind to give her a moment of true clarity. _That's what this place means to her, that's why it's built like a fortress and why she only lets in the people she's trying to help or those that she cares about. She wants me to stay, not just because she cares about me… but because she knows she can protect me here._

"Wait! You haven't met Blake yet!" Ruby sprung up and spun around to face her assistant. "Blake come here!"

"Oh! Sorry, I'm coming." Blake shook herself out of her stupor, still feeling the recoil of her epiphany and once again, as it had been so many times, they way she viewed Ruby was changed so abruptly.

"Hey Blake! I'm Yang Xiao Long, nice to meet ya!" Yang grinned up at Blake as she approached. "I'd shake your hand but… you know, kinda can't move my arms. So tell me, you banging my sister?"

"Yang!" Ruby shouted indignantly, her face instantly burning bright red… almost as much as Blake. Meanwhile, Thistle was just barely holding back her laughter at the spectacle.

"What? Come on, she's hot and I think she's into you from the way she kept looking at you. How long have you two been together? What about poor Thistle? Or is she in on this too? Oh please tell me she is! I'm not moving a muscle until I get some answers!" This was probably the most fun she'd had in years and she was going to milk every moment of it.

"Yang, I know you're bored at Dad's but my love life isn't the place to entertain yourself." Ruby said all of that while still hiding behind her hands, her face burning like fire, she couldn't even bring herself to imagine what Blake must look like or what she must think. "Oh god this is worse than I thought. Is it too late to send you back to Dad?"

"Sorry Sis, I'm afraid you're stuck with me." Yang smirked, her eyes mischievous and playful as she looked to Blake and then… she winked.

"It's… it's not like that." She wasn't sure why she felt so embarrassed, embarrassed wasn't like her. Still, the older sister's teasing had sent her into a burning blush and made her trip over her own words before looking up to her boss… and then quickly looking away, her gaze now fixed on the flood, unable to bring herself to meet anyone else' gaze.

"D-don't let her bait you, she'll just use it as a chance to tease me more." Ruby forced her hands down, her cheeks still red as she stepped between her sister and assistant. "Yang, let's get you settled into your bedroom and then we're going to the store to buy tonight's dinner. I'm cooking."

"Seriously?" Yang balked, her eyebrows raising and her head jerking slightly back.

"Yes seriously!" Ruby retorted impatiently. "Why does everyone think I can't cook!?"

"Because no one taught you, at least not as far as I know." Yang had missed a lot of her sister's life. While she was stuck in bed or in her chair, Ruby was out in the world, making her way in it and making a life for herself. She'd had plenty of time to get used to her condition but there were some things you just can't get comfortable with.

"Pyrrha taught me…" And just like that, her blush was gone and the mood of the room plummeted, especially for Ruby who looked away bitterly, her eyes forlorn and her jaw clenched. Immediately, Blake's first thought was to hold Ruby once again, regardless of who thought what… but she just couldn't get her legs to move.

"Ruby." It was Thistle that stepped in, putting her hand on her boss' shoulder as she stood in front of her. Ruby looked up at Thistle with her big, sparkling silver eyes, Blake could see every hint of pain and regret and sadness within them… and it made her heart ache.

"Hey, let's get going. I've always wanted to see the Devil's Lair for myself." Yang's smile was relaxed but caring and her voice was soft. Still, that gentle nudge from her sister was enough combined with Thistle's reassuring touch to get her composure back.

"Right." It was fragile and it was small, but Ruby smiled gratefully at Yang and Thistle before giving a soft nod. "Come on Blake, you'll need to help me get Yang settled in, Thistle, grab her things from the car."

"Sure thing, I'll say hi to your dad for you." Thistle turned around and gave a halfhearted wave back to them before walking up the ramp with her hands in her shorts' pockets.

"Thanks Thistle! We'll be up soon, after you're done with that bring the car around and we'll meet you up there!" Ruby shouted and waved at Thistle before she disappeared out the door.

"Guess you and Dad still aren't on speaking terms." With a sigh Yang leaned her head back to the headrest on her chair.

"You know he doesn't like… me." Ruby shrugged, one relationship she had given up on a long time ago was one with her father. _Honestly, I see Roman as more of a father than Dad._

"He loves you Ruby, he talks about you a lot at home. Like when you made the news taking over that company and-"

"And what did Dad have to say about that exactly?" The doctor crossed her arms over her chest, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. She may not have seen her father in a long time but she knew his feelings on her life well enough.

"He… was worried." Yang herself didn't even sound sure if that was the right way to put it. She was attempting to cast their dad in a good light while trying to make her sister feel better but ending up accomplishing neither.

"Yeah, I bet." With a growled huff Ruby imagined just exactly what what her father said about her. Yang owed her for embarrassing her in front of Blake and Thistle, she knew she could use that to leverage the answers from her sister. "This is supposed to be a good day. Let's forget about Dad. Come on, you'll love your new room!"

"Yeah, that sounds good." She gave a thankful nod, happy to not be instigating a confrontation between her sister and her dad… _Again_.

Blake, Ruby and Yang made their way to the elevator with Ruby pushing her sister's chair. However, all the while, Blake had felt an apprehension and a question nagging at her. She stole another glance and Yang, the woman who gave Ruby the will to move the world. _She called our home the Devil's Lair… just how much does she know about what Ruby really is?_

* * *

Tensions had eased greatly once they got in the car, a very high quality luxury SUV painted glossy black. Blake was surprised this was the first time she'd seen the vehicle and couldn't help but wonder just how many cars Ruby had. Then she remembered that one-point four billion Lien estimate she gave of her personal wealth.

Yang was talkative and amiable the entire way to the store, asking questions, making jokes, teasing her sister while she drove, telling stories and captivating both Thistle and Blake. It felt weird though for the faunus, Thistle and Ruby had shared so much that she wasn't part of and it seemed like Yang thought of Thistle like family. It gave Blake an unexpected mix of feelings, both sadness at having something so separate from them as their past and happy to feel like she was part of their family too. All of them brought together by one determined doctor.

"Alright!" Ruby declared loudly with her hands on her hips and that cunning, predatory grin on her face as she scanned the store from its entrance. "Blake! You're in charge of the shopping list, don't let us forget anything, also, keep us within the budget, I'm counting on you! Thistle, you push the carriage, we're stocking up for a while so it'll be heavy, also keep an eye out for anything we want that might not be on the list that we could fit in. Yang, you're with me, you and I will lead the mission use your handicap to cut in front of the lines!"

"Yes ma'am!" Thistle grinned wildly, gripping the handle of the carriage looking as though she were about to enter a battle..

"Got it Sis!" Yang cheered excitedly, she was already having more fun in an hour with Ruby than she was with months at her Dad's.

"You're all taking this way too seriously." Blake deadpanned, but resigned to her task. Though she loved her new family, and she really did, their high energy was sometimes pretty draining on her. Still, she didn't hate being dragged along.

"Let's go!" With that, Ruby marched forward at a brisk pace pushing Yang in front of her. "Blake, what's the first thing on the list?"

"Tuna." She responded immediately without even looking at the list that she carried on a clipboard from the clinic.

"Seriously?" Thistle raised her eyebrows and smirked, she helped write the list, being the one that always did the shopping before. _That is definitely not the first thing on the list._

"Doesn't matter, the fish is in the back of the store down this aisle!" Ruby turned on a dime, nearly spilling Yang out of her chair but the blonde only giggled at the exhilaration.

"She's in a good mood." Blake mused as she walked at her own clam pace beside Thistle, actually looking down the list this time, trying to guess which foods were her family's favorites.

"She's never had this much before… family I mean. For two years it was just me and her. Then it was you, me and her, now Yang is here. This is the happiest I've seen her in a long time." Despite what should have been a positive thing, Thistle looked more worried than happy for the object of her unspoken love.

"Is something wrong?" Blake rested her clipboard at her side, looking down at the shorter woman whose gaze was fixed forward on Ruby who had already run down to the other end of the store, nearly bowling over several people in her path.

"Back when I was a mercenary, I learned to trust my instincts. It saved my ass a lot but I never saw a betrayal coming from my own family. In my world, you learn from your mistakes or you die. Right now, my instincts are telling me that things are a lot more shaky than they look, no matter how happy Ruby is right now." She slowed her steps, giving one glance in front of her to make sure no one was in her way before she looked back up to Blake with deeply understanding eyes, like she was able to see what her coworker was feeling with just a look.

"You know if you leave it will destroy her right?" Thistle's voice was cold and steady, there was no doubt in her heart, she knew it was true. _I couldn't be there to protect Ruby from Pyrrha but I can keep her safe from Blake. I'll protect her, that's my job and that includes her heart._

"Thistle…" She was stopped in her tracks, looking quickly towards Ruby who was too preoccupied with her sister to noticed that her employees were far behind them. "I know."

"Do you think she deserves that?" Another question that hit Blake like a train… painfully. Once again, there wasn't an easy answer… nothing in this world had an easy answer for her.

"It's not about what she deserves, it's about doing what's right." She sounded so much more confident when she used the same justification for leaving the White Fang but now her resolve had wavered… and Thistle picked up on it.

"Look, you know how I feel about Ruby so I'm going to say this once and you're gonna listen." Her words came as a threatening hushed growl as she leaned in closer to Blake, her eyes unwavering as she stared directly into hers. "If you're going to break her heart you better be damn sure it's what you want. Don't play games with her or I will kill you."

"I- I understand…" She was afraid. Blake was a fighter, she had fought many foes and won, she was considered exceptionally skilled in battle but Thistle was a monster. She would never want to fight her.

"Good." Thistle spat venomously, digging into her pocket for her cigarettes before realizing she couldn't smoke inside, only pissing her off even more. "Let's catch up with them before those two idiots get themselves lost."

"Thistle." Blake reached out, grabbing the redhead's shoulder, stopping her before she began. For a moment, Thistle looked like she would lash out in anger but then, she saw Blake's smile and the sadness in her amber eyes. She could almost feel the conflict in Blake's heart and it snuffed out the fires of anger in her own, giving into the faunus' will Thistle waited and listened for her to saw whatever she had to say.

"Ruby is lucky to have you." With that simple thing said she let her hand slide off of Thistle's shoulder, falling back to her side, her grin grateful and wistful as she looked fondly at the bodyguard.

"I know." She responded with a smirk, shaking her head at her inability to keep up her anger towards the faunus. _I'm getting soft._

"Come on, they're waiting for us. Both of us." With a slight jerk of her head she motioned for Blake to follow her. So the two made their way to the doctor and her sister who were both messing around with the store's merchandise and just goofing around while they waited for Blake and Thistle to catch up.

The rest of their excursion was methodical, tactical and fun. Only Ruby and company could make something so mundane into something so enjoyable. What really got Blake was what their favorite foods were. Ruby apparently loved strawberries, grabbing a large box of them and pledging to eat them all by herself. Yang wanted some salted dark chocolate, she didn't say it was her favorite but it was what she picked out. Thistle's though was not what Blake was expecting as the tiny woman grabbed a twenty pound bag of salted, shelled peanuts, apparently liking to suck the salt off of the shells before biting them open.

All in all their trip was a good time and in little ways it helped Blake understand her family better. Ruby was always on, she couldn't turn off that drive or that passion or hunger so even mundane tasks became something significant. Thistle was more relaxed that Blake had initially thought, happy to stroll behind the sisters, listening to them giggle and talk, chiming in wherever she had something witty to say and Yang was a warm and bright person, she could definitely see how she and Ruby were sisters. She had fallen into the laps of some very interesting people.

 _They're all so warm. I can tell they all have darkness in them though, even Yang. I've been around Ruby long enough to see it, Thistle and Ruby are monsters and something is unsettling about Yang. So… do I really belong with them? I've done things I regret but do they regret the things they've done? I know Ruby doesn't. I'm not like them, when they shine they're too bright and when they're in the darkness it's too dark for me. I don't fit in with them… me staying, me letting Ruby think I'm stay, it's only hurting her more. But then again, if I thought she was a monster… why would I care so much?_

* * *

"Dinner was great Ruby, thank you." Blake had to restrain herself from purring while she ate the perfectly seared tuna steaks. Ruby was an amazing cook, but Blake had already known that Ruby was amazing at anything she put her mind to, she was a genius.

"Yeah Sis! It was delicious!" Yang grinned contently as Ruby fed her the last bite off of her plate. The unorthodox family of four all sat around the kitchen table, Ruby beside Yang, feeding her with a smile on her face, the young doctor was more than happy to help her big sister.

"I still think I could have done better but yeah, I really liked it." Thistle, trying and failing to save face as she licked her lips and very nearly licked her plate had she not gotten a stern look from Blake.

"I'm really happy you all liked it!" Ruby was beaming with pride and happiness at the satisfied faces around her. _Yeah, I'm definitely cooking for everyone more often._

"Well, it's getting late." Ruby yawned, throwing her hands up to the air and giving a long, satisfied stretch ending in a contented sigh. "Wanna take a bath Yang?"

"Yeah! Gotta say, the Devil's Lair is really nice, certainly blows the water out of our place in Patch." Yang looked so thrilled to be getting some time in luxury Blake had to wonder if that wasn't a small part of her motivation to come live with her little sister.

"You're from Patch?" Blake tilted her head slightly, trying to recall exactly where that was. She knew very little about Ruby's past, just scattered things like having a dad and an older sister, no mention of her mom.

"Yeah, Yang and I grew up there in a cute little house. It's an island not far off the coast of Vale. Not much to do there though so I moved out when I was fifteen." Ruby spoke as she walked around the table, collecting everyone's plates before placing them in the sink.

"You moved out when you were fifteen?" She knew she left to fight for the White Fang even younger than that so it wasn't so surprising but still.

"Well yeah, I was already in college by then." She said it like it was nothing, some blase thing, but Blake found herself in awe, she knew Ruby was very young for such an accomplished doctor but still.

"Wow." Was all Blake could think to say.

"Heh-heh, my little sister is pretty much a super genius." Yang was glowing with pride and admiration for Ruby and at that, Ruby finally blushed, the praise finally getting to her.

"I was just motivated, that's all." Her bashful grin faded into a wishful half smile as she came up behind her sister, taking a bib off from her shoulders Ruby pulled Yang away from the table. "Thistle, Blake, I'd like you both to help me."

"Of course." Blake responded without hesitation. This was the Ruby she liked to see, the kind and gentle one and she liked Yang well enough.

"Sure." Thistle was a little less enthused outwardly but Blake knew her, she wanted to help.

"Thanks Thistle, Blake, my sister is really lucky to have to two." Yang grinned as she winked at them, her not so subtle tone wasn't lost on her sister who jerked her wheelchair back.

"No more teasing my employees Yang." Ruby scolded, knowing full well that she would have a lot more of her sister's antics to deal with in the future.

"Fine." The elder sister rolled her eyes and leaned her head back, looking up at Ruby. "You're no fun you know that?"

"You try putting up with you for a day." The doctor had a playful smirk on her lips as she gently flicked Yang's nose from above. "Come on, let's get this over with."

"Whatever you say Doc!" Yang giggled as Ruby maneuvered her around the table, Thistle moving towards it so the sisters could get through before she and Blake followed them down the hallway to the master bedroom, Ruby and Thistle's room.

With a push of a button the sliding opaque glass door retracted back into the wall giving them ample space to go forward in single file with Yang in front. The elder sister took in the sights and smells of her sister's lavish bedroom. Ruby's mattress was huge and expensive looking, hell, to her everything looked super expensive. However, she wasn't completely blown away until the four of them walked into the master bathroom.

"Wow." Yang balked at the sight before her. The bathroom was easily as large as the living room back in patch. It had a large tub carved from a solid block of marble, the floors were polished and stained concrete that sloped ever so slightly inwards to drains the periodically dotted the floor. There were high end rainforest shower heads above them, across from the stone bath, a room that she could only imagine was a sauna and the entire room was decorated with beautiful stone work along with glass and metal with strategically placed lighting to give the entire room a relaxing ambiance.

"Sis, if you're trying to seduce me… this is a good start." Yang was so taken in by the sights she almost didn't hear Ruby facepalm or Thistle and Blake giggling at her joke… almost.

"Thistle, please go get the bathing chair for Yang. Blake, help me get her undressed." Ruby was praying that Yang would pass out for the night soon, she didn't know much more her employees respect for her could handle prolonged exposure to her sister.

"Oh Ruby, after only one dinner?"

"Oh my god Yang!" She could feel her dignity and fear she commanded being burned away every time her sister opened her mouth. _Just kill me now…_

"Um… you want me to um… undress her?" Blake gulped, her cheeks tinted pink and her heart feeling tight from the awkwardness of the situation she was thrown into.

"Don't worry, she can't put up a fight." Ruby would go on the offensive now and like every other battle, she would win.

"Come on kitten, I can't exactly undress myself." Yang's voice was more relaxed and gentle than when she was teasing her sister, trying to make Blake as comfortable as possible knowing that it was probably weird to get your girlfriend's big sister naked.

"Okay…" She was not comfortable in the slightest with this… but then she remembered the autopsy and practice she and Ruby did on the man's corpse. _This isn't something intimate, it's just medical. Just take like the autopsy… I enjoyed that… maybe this won't be so bad._

"Relax, she's not shy." Ruby coaxed Blake a little more, slowly stepping away so Blake could get in front of Yang. Then… Blake froze, having no idea where to start, what would be appropriate or weird or-

"Take a deep breath and relax. I'll talk you through it." Yang smiled warmly while behind her Blake could feel Ruby's hands resting reassuringly on her shoulders.

"What do I do first?" Blake gulped down her nerves and tried to channel her inner dark Ruby, cold, analytical and fearless. _I can do this._

"First you have to lean me forward and unzip my dress at my back." The older sister's calm was contagious and between her voice and Ruby's gentle touch, she felt herself get each into a comfortable space between determination and curiosity.

Blake grabbed Yang by her shoulders, pulling her towards her until she came to a stop , her head resting against the upper part of Blake's chest sending waves of hot embarrassment through her entire body. _I have no idea what I'm doing! Ruby please save me!_

"You're doing fine, if you weren't Yang would be complaining." Ruby stepped beside her side, putting her arm over her front, easing her slightly off of Blake so the faunus could unzip her dress.

"Maybe I'm not complaining because I nearly had my face in your girlfriend's-"

"Yang!" Ruby stopped that train of thought before her sister could finish it, but everyone got the gist.

"Okay, now just pull the straps off of my shoulders." She was a lot more gentle with Blake than Ruby but despite how flustered she could make her sister, Blake's ears told her that the young doctor was really happy, even through every dose of embarrassment Yang could dish out.

With the heat returning to her cheeks Blake pushed herself to keep going. Taking a deep breath she pulled the straps off of her shoulders, letting the top of the dress fall down to her stomach leaving her breasts covered only by her lacy white bra. _I'm going to have to do that too aren't I?_

"If you're not comfortable I can have Ruby take over from here but you don't need to be embarrassed, it's been this way most of my life, I'm used to it. Ruby trusts you so I know I'm in good hands." She smiled so warmly and brightly, it was almost exactly like Ruby's and it burned away her fear and apprehension. _If Ruby trusts me enough to do this then the least I can do is actually give it a try._

"No, I can do this." Her ears flicked atop her head and her expression grew hard with determination as Ruby leaned Yang forward, allowing Blake to reach around Yang and, after fumbling much to her humiliation for a moment, she unhooked the bra before bringing the straps off her her shoulders, baring her admittedly impressive breasts… which Blake gawked at for another moment longer than it took her to feel humiliated.

"Okay Thistle, I'm going to need your help with this one!" Yang shouted, getting the redhead's attention as she walked over to them with a white plastic chair designed for bathing, placing it only several feet from Yang.

"Blake, you and Thistle get her standing, I'll take it from there." With a slight jerk of her head she signaled for Thistle to go to her sister's side as Ruby stepped away. "Okay Blake, this floor is a little bit slippery so hold onto her tight. Put her arm over your shoulder and put your arm under her armpit, Thistle will do the same, keep her steady with your hips and always be slightly in front of her in case she falls then one of you can catch her."

"Got it!" The both responded at once, Thistle taking the lead while Blake watched her every move, mimicking her senior in that instance until they were both in position, squatting down and holding her tightly and securely. Giving a nod Ruby gave them the signal and they both lifted up on the limp body, pulling Yang up from the chair, their own bodies now the only thing holding her dress up.

"Good job Blake, Thistle, perfect as always." Ruby gave a praising smile before squatting down in front of her sister. There wasn't any hint of embarrassment or hesitation as she pulled down the dress, leaving Yang with nothing but her white and pink panties… and a bag strapped to her upper thigh filled with a urine and a thin, clear tube running up her leg into her urethra.

"Alright," Ruby spoke as she disentangled the dress from Yang's feet. "Walk her carefully over to the chair and sit her down."

"Ready?" Thistle looked to Blake, the faunus looked unconfident but nodding all the same, making damn sure her footing was stable. Thistle knew she was strong enough to carry Yang on her own, she'd done it before. While Yang had never stayed with them Ruby did visit her sister in Patch with her bodyguard. So, being a little extra cautious, Thistle began walking them over to the chair with Blake acting mostly as a support to help balance Yang's weight.

"Now, just sit her down… and get out." Ruby's voice was soft but commanding as she took off her lab coat, tossing it to the sink nearby before proceeding to unbutton her red top.

"R-right!" Blake's blush was back with a vengeance and that heat from the morning came along with it as she watch Ruby strip unabashedly before them.

"Yeah, definitely nothing going on there." Yang smirked, gently bumping Blake's arm with her head as she sat in the much less comfy chair in nothing but her panties.

"I- I should go…" Even as she backed up towards the door she watched Ruby undress, tossing aside her tan bra and dropping her skirt. She had perfect pale skin that glowed in the soft light and as she undid her hair the long strands spread out, taking their natural shape, draping down her back while the red tips burned like a softly smoldering fire. She was beautiful, like a work of art that Blake just couldn't take her eyes off of.

"Yeah, we should." Thistle was barely suppressing another growl as she grabbed Blake by her arm, pulling her long towards the door leading to the bedroom.

"Those two are fun." Yang giggled to herself as Ruby approached her, completely naked and unabashed carrying soaps and sponges.

"They're getting along better than I thought they would." Ruby smiled as she watched them leave, the door closing behind them. "I'm glad they feel at home enough to start arguing sometimes."

"Feeling at home… you really have a way of making that mean something Ruby." It had been a long time since the two sisters had seen each other and though she wouldn't admit it, she was scared to come stay with her. _I was scared that leaving Dad would break him and I was scared that I would be a burden on Ruby… but maybe I can just put all that behind me. I'm happy here, I think I deserve that._

 **Snap!**

With a snap of Ruby's fingers the showers overhead turned on, water showered down around them, drenching Yang but almost entirely missing Ruby. A content a pleasured smile formed from Yang's lips as she looked up towards the ceiling as she hot water rushed down upon her. The pressure was low but the way the water felt just like heavy rain, giving her a sensation she hadn't really felt in a long time… it was magical.

"I built this place with you in mind Yang." Ruby smiled as she knelt down, squeezing a bottle of expensive body wash into her hand. "I figured you'd like this kind of shower."

"I really do. I can feel the warmth on my face and neck… it's really nice." The older sister was humming with contentment as she basked in the simple sensation, her eyes closed from the water she couldn't see or feel Ruby's hands working up a lather over her body.

"I'm happy you like it here… I hope you'll stay." It was unmistakable, a deep, deep sadness and hurt and fear in Ruby's tone as she worked her way up from Yang's chest up to her shoulders and neck.

"Ruby, is something wrong?" Yang couldn't open her eyes without the water stinging them but she could just imagine the dejected look Ruby was allowing herself to wear knowing that no one could see aside from her sister.

"Yeah… um, what do you think of Blake?" That question for a moment seemed out of nowhere to Yang, until she thought about how flustered Ruby got when she joked about her and Blake. _Wow! My little sister coming to me for advice. That hasn't happened since Pyrrha. Hopefully this time I can do something before her heart gets ripped out again._

"Blake seems nice, she's friendly but holds a lot back. She's strong willed and I can tell she has a good heart." Yang blinked away the water from her eyes, looking down at her sister as the shower rained down atop her head. Ruby was still looking to the floor, her eyes dulled with sadness and worry.

"Also, she likes you." Yang wasn't positive on that but she had a gut feeling and the moment she saw Ruby's eyes light up with hope and happiness she knew, Ruby was falling hard for the faunus girl. _Good for you Sis, I know you've been scared to open your heart up since Pyrrha but I think you've found a good one. Still… I can't help but feel bad for Thistle._

"Yang… I'm afraid she's going to leave me." Her lip quivered and her heart ached, Ruby's voice strained as her throat was gripped by a familiar tightness. She didn't want to think that Blake would really go but… _She called me a monster. She's not wrong but… I still want her._

"Why would she-" Yang was brought to an instant stop and even though she had no sensation over most of her body, she felt a chill as Ruby looked up at her with frigid cold eyes and an unsettlingly placid expression. Yang could practically feel her sister emanating danger… but this was her sister and she wasn't afraid. "So, she saw that side of you… yikes."

"Yeah and I don't know what to do." Her expression softened to one of desperation or hopelessness as she looked to her sister, praying she would have the answers.

"How bad was it? I don't want to know the details just… how bad?" She did not want their first day back together to go this way, she didn't want to go into the darkness with Ruby right off the bat. _But she needs my help, for once, I'm going to be there for her like a big sister should._

"Not as bad as it could have been but… up there. Maybe a six out of ten." Ruby looked so much like a lost, heartbroken little girl. Nothing terrified Ruby as much as losing someone she cares about.

"I don't know Blake well enough to say if she'll leave but I think, if you tell her how you really feel, at least it means you'll have done everything you could to keep her. Maybe that's enough?" She was struggling to find some way to make this into a positive, to give her sister something that could help. Still, she felt in her heart that things were inevitably leading to their conclusion… and Ruby would be left broken by the end of it.

"You- you really think so?" The look of cautious hope and optimism, she looked like a child at that moment. Yang felt a pang of guilt in her heart. Was she setting Ruby up for greater disappointment? She couldn't be sure but had to do something.

"I think there's a chance, and that's not nothing." Very rarely now did Yang get angry over her condition, she'd been this way almost as long as she remembers but still… _I just wish I could hold her damn it!_

"I hope so… I- I really like her." A smile, soft and warm and content pulled at her lips as she thought about the faunus, the way she smelled, the way her voice sounded, how warm she was.

"I can tell." She couldn't hide the worry in her tone, she could practically see disaster ahead. _Ruby's fallen in love again. It's been almost a decade, if this goes wrong she may never recover. You deserve to find love Ruby, I hope you don't shut your heart again._

* * *

"Alright Yang, if you need anything just call, we're only one room over." Ruby frowned as she and Thistle got Yang into her bed from her chair, now dressed in one of Ruby's nightgowns. "Are you sure you don't want to sleep with us?"

"Four people on one bed? I know it's a big mattress but somehow I don't think that's the best idea. Besides, I don't want you keeping me up all night with-"

"Are you going to be like this the whole time you're here?" Ruby sighed, shaking head as she carefully positioned Yang's head on top of her pillow and pulled up the covers to her neck.

"I have to make up for lost time." The elder sister giggled at Ruby's expense. "Seriously though, thank you for letting me stay with you. It's nice here… you have a good home."

"It's even better with you around." With a soft and love smile Ruby bent over, brushing her hair aside as she gently kissed her sister's forehead. "You've had a busy day, you need to get some sleep. Thistle, let's let her rest."

"You need sleep too Ruby." Thistle put her hands in her pockets, smirking at her boss. Ruby always shined brightest when she was with Yang, there was no doubt that she truly loved her sister more than anything.

"There's something I have to do first." Fierce determination burned in her eyes as she put Yang's wheelchair beside her bed. She was so focused, so resolute towards her goal that she didn't notice the pained look flash in Thistle's eyes. The bodyguard knew exactly what was going to happen tonight and she was helpless to do anything but hope for the best.

"Kick ass little sister." With those words of encouragement Ruby nodded assuredly before walking towards the door and shutting the light off.

"Goodnight Yang." Giving one last warm smile to her sister, she turned the light off, plunging the room into darkness.

"Night Sis." Yang smiled back before Thistle and Ruby crossed the threshold, the door sliding closed behind them before the opaque glass darkened, limiting the light streaming in from the hallway. _I guess it's time to do my part huh?_

"Alright Blake, I guess we need to talk." Yang called out into the darkness, listening for the slightest sound.

"How'd you know I was here?" Blake stepped forward, her amber eyes shining like mirrors in the low light, her faunus lineage giving her perfect night vision compared to humans and being part cat she was usually the epitome of stealth when she worked for the White Fang.

"I've been paralyzed for so long that to compensate for my broken body I can extend my senses far beyond that of a human." Yang stated it so simply and matter of factly but Blake couldn't help but have her imagination piqued.

"Really?" Blake asked in a mix of awe and disbelief, approaching her bedside until she was standing at its perimeter.

"Pfff no!" The elder sister let out a snort of laughter at the faunus' expense just to Blake's annoyance. "I knew you'd have questions, I'd bet money that Ruby knew you were in here too, otherwise she would have kept me up with a checklist of things she thinks I need to know for my safety or whatever."

"I see." She sighed, chiding herself for falling for that so easily before sitting herself down in Yang's wheelchair.

"So, what do you want to know?" She was welcoming and accommodating, more than happy to answer any questions Blake may have, even personal ones. She lost the luxury of being shy when she lost the ability to move on her own.

"How did it happen?" Blake almost whispered her question, her voice tight with fear that she may have overstepped.

"If you mean my paralysis then it's a bit of a story." Yang was glad for this chance to talk to the girl Ruby had fallen in love with. _Maybe I can help her, maybe if she knows everything she'll stay here for you._

"I've got time… if you're willing to tell me." Blake blinked, her eyes perked up atop her head and her body feeling strangely tense as she awaited the the answer.

"Alright… well, Ruby and I grew up on Patch, it was just me, her and our dad. My mom left shortly after I was born and Ruby… her mom Summer, she died on a mission. All our parents and our uncle were Huntsman and Huntresses. Things were hard for Dad but he managed to give us a pretty good home but I was the one who practically raised Ruby." A mix of bittersweet and nostalgia dripped from her words as she recalled a much, much better time.

"Anyway, one winter, I was eight and Ruby was six, we both got sick with the flu. Ruby was miserable, she had a high fever, rash, vomiting, pain and a pretty nasty cough. I was mostly fine, I had a slightly fever but felt okay enough to take care of Ruby. After about two weeks, she recovered like nothing had ever happened… but I still had a mild fever. Dad brought me to doctors and they said everything was fine so we just ignored it and hoped it would go away on its own. That's when… it all fell apart." Her voice wavered with pain and anger as she gritted her teeth against the memories. Still, Blake listened silently, knowing there was nothing she could say or do to make what happened okay.

"It started at my feet, a pain so bad I was non stop crying or screaming. Drugs didn't help, the doctors had no idea what was going on. Every day the pain won out over a little more of my body, workings its way up. It felt like I was slowly being burned alive and I had that insane fever, hallucinations and unstoppable pain. I couldn't sleep, eat and by three days in I had screamed so much I had strained my vocal cords beyond the ability to make much more than a groan. I was hospitalized, they put me on every painkiller they had, even morphine didn't do a thing. After a while they decided to put me in a coma, that was the only relief I felt that entire time. As they were putting me out I remember hoping that I never woke up. I was eight years old and I was in so much pain that I wanted to die to end the suffering." A pain filled huff of laughter escaped her lips and she could feel her eyes blurring with tears that pooled in them.

"I'm sorry…" Blake wanted to say more, she wanted to do something to help… but the damage had long since been done, her condolences were the only thing she could offer.

"B-by the end of it they had thrown everything they could at me, antivirals, antibiotics anything at all they tried it. Then, it came time to wake me up to see if anything had worked." Taking in a trembling breath Yang willed herself to continue the story… no matter how painful it was. "It worked, when I woke up I wasn't in pain… but I couldn't feel anything else either and I couldn't move anything below my neck. They still don't know what helped or if my body just fought off whatever it was. Still, it burned away my nerves and the doctors say that if I didn't beat it, it would have moved to my lungs and I would have suffocated."

"And Ruby was there… for all of it. She never once left my side when I was awake, she cried with me, she held me, she begged me not to leave her. She lost so much weight she was almost hospitalized right along with me. Apparently she didn't leave my side when I was out either. Can you image that? A child, six years old watching someone they love suffer so much for so long only for them to wake up with a broken, useless body." She turned her head, staring right into Blake's eyes, her own conveying the empathy she had for her sister. All that she suffered and she was worried about Ruby… it took Blake's breath away, she'd never known that much love in her life.

"Is that when she changed?" Blake couldn't help but feel in awe of the woman who lay before her. All that, she went through all that and ended up paralyzed and yet she still laughed and smiled and tried to have a good life.

"You go through something like that yeah, it changes you." Yang turned her gaze up to the ceiling with a small smile on her lips. "Did you know that when she was little, Ruby always wanted to be a Huntress?"

"It doesn't seem fitting for her." Blake couldn't image Ruby as anything but a doctor… and a monster.

"Back then, all she wanted to do was save the world, just like her mom. Then, she changed after I got sick. The instant I was in agony she would read through any medical text she could get, learning everything she could, anything that could help me. After I woke up, she doubled down and threw herself into her studies, determined to become a doctor and make me better. She was never the same though, she saw something terrible and it opened up something dark inside her, something unstoppable and protective and that's what drove her to be more than good, it made her the best." She sounded at once pitying and proud of her sister but there was a small hint of guilt buried in her voice… Blake couldn't blame her for anything she was feeling.

"Yang… how much do you know about what Ruby does?" Blake wasn't sure if it was her place to bring this up but… _I have to know, I need answers and Yang is the only one I think can give them to me._

"I know enough not to ask." With a halfhearted laugh she looked back to Blake still smiling. "I've met Roman and Neo and Cinder, I know what kind of people they are and I know how Ruby can be. I know she sometimes does things that are really bad but I can't hate her, I can't even be mad at her. In the end, she is what she is because of what happened to me. She has a good life and she can be happy… if I'm being honest, nothing else matters to me."

"I've seen the things she's capable of and I've heard the stories, she doesn't just do it to protect people. She- she likes it." She couldn't understand why she felt so guilty saying things that she knew were true, but she felt a deep discomfort with every word. "You and Thistle, you're not like her, at least, I don't think so. How can you- how can you be okay with what she is?! How can you justify loving someone who's a monster!?"

"Because I love her." It was so simple, said with the warmest, most gentle voice that was brimming with love and caring. "I love my sister and I learned that loving her meant that I would have to give up something, something I never thought I'd give up before… but for her, I accepted her in a heartbeat. The least I can do is help her through the darkness, if only to see her smile shine."

"Giving up something…" Blake sighed hollowly, her heart feeling empty and exhausted as she leaned back in Yang's chair, looking upwards at nothing.

"The path she's on is paved with sacrifice and she's made her share of them. Ruby deserves love… after everything she's done and everything she's been through, she deserves love… she needs it. There are precious few people she gives her love to but even more rare are the people she opens up her heart to, letting herself be vulnerable. The last time she did that… it destroyed her for years after her heart was broken. I don't think she'll ever accept love, true love again if it happens a second time." Her eyes burned up at Blake with protectiveness and anger, they both knew the subtext even if it went unspoken.

"I…" Blake started and stopped, her fists clenched and her chest felt like it was going to collapse in on itself. "I need to find Ruby."

"What are you going to do?" Again Yang found herself enraged that she couldn't grab Blake and shake sense into her, the foreboding gnawing at her heart screaming at her to do something, anything… but she couldn't.

"Thank you Yang…" With a heavy sigh and a heart like cold lead Blake forced herself up, walking to the door before giving one last long look at the woman lying in the bed who looked up to her with fear and frustration.

"I'm sorry." With those parting words… Blake left Yang alone, helpless to do anything for her sister.

* * *

"Blake…" A small, heartbroken voice spoke softly from behind her, making the cat faunus freeze in place, standing before the stairs the led to the exit from the Underworld.

"Ruby." She didn't want to do it, she didn't want to turn around to face the girl, already knowing how broken she must look. _But I owe her at least this much._

Gritting her teeth and steeling her head, Blake slowly turned around, her long black hair flowing as she faced the doctor, her amber eyes shimmering and her heart racing. Ruby looked… terrified, broken, hopeful and guilty all at once, her small hands held up to her chest as she took a small, shaky step forward, the two women just out of arm's length of each other.

"I don't want you to go." Her words barely left her lips as they moved up from her heartache strangled throat.

"I know…" It hurt… god it hurt. She wanted so badly to make that pained look on Ruby's face go away. Her heart screamed at her to embrace the girl, to make it better… to keep her safe.

"You don't have to leave… it's nice here. We had fun you know?" She was barely holding back the tears that pooled in her mirror like eyes, her words coming out as little more than painful, cracked squeaks. "I like you being here, I- I'm happy when you're around!"

"I know…" It was all Blake could do to not give into her guilt, to not look away in shame at the hurt she was causing. "I like it here too. I like being with you and Thistle and Yang… this last month had some of the happiest moments of my life."

"Then stay!" Ruby cried out, rushing forward in a blur of red and rose petals, slamming into Blake before throwing her arms around her, holding the faunus tight as she cried into her shoulder. "Stay… please… I don't- I don't want to lose you!"

"I don't want to leave… but I have to." Her lip quivered and her vision blurred as she shakily embraced Ruby, holding her close and tight. "I can't go down this path with you Ruby. I can't do it, I can't become a monster."

"I can protect you! I can keep you safe! I- I can-"

"But who's going to keep me safe from you?" Her voice wavered as she held on as tight as she could, resting her head on top of Ruby's, closing her eyes, squeezing out hot tears as she smelled her hair. "I don't want to turn into you and… if I don't leave now, I may never have to will to do it."

"Don't! Please Blake! Please… I can't… n-not again… not again!" Her whole body was trembling, Blake could feel her tears soaking through her top as her small fists bunched up the fabric of her shirt at her back.

"I know… I know." The pain was almost unbearable, she wished so hard that she could take it all back, that she could magically make everything okay. _But I can't, I can't do this to myself. I can't turn a blind eye to the horrible person I would become… I would end up just like Ruby. I don't want to hurt people._

"Stay… I don't want to feel that again, not like last time. I can't handle it Blake, I can't handle losing you." Terror filled the broken wounds in her heart, she didn't want to cover them in ice, she wanted to give her heart to Blake, she wanted to love and be loved… _I want to be happy. So please… just stay with me._

"I'm so sorry Ruby…" A soft breath and then… Blake was gone, cold air filling the space where she had been as her shadow disappeared behind her. As Ruby looked up through tears blinded eyes she saw Blake standing at the top of the stairs, her hand on the handle as she looked down at the doctor.

"Wait!" Ruby shouted desperately, her heart pounding with fury as the words flooded her mind, the only thing she could possibly say that would mean anything. _I- I have to… just one more time… I'm giving you my heart Blake._

"Blake… I-"

 _Say it!_

"I-"

 _Damn it! Tell her! Tell her that you're in love with her!_

"I…"

 _Please… why can't I say it? I want her to stay, I know I love her… but why can't I say it?_

"I'll miss you…"

 _Because…_

"I'll miss you too, Ruby Rose."

 _Because I love her. I want her to be happy._

"Goodbye." Without another word… Blake walked out the door… and walked out of Ruby's life.

"I love you…" The words finally left her lips too late, soft and broken as her head hung low in shame. "I love you with all my heart Blake… I hope- I hope you'll be happy."

"Ruby…" Thistle spoke up from behind the crying woman, her soft purple eyes filled with compassion and contempt, pain and love, anger and sorrow.

"I'm going out." In an instant Ruby's voice was as cold as liquid helium and as dark as night as she stepped forward, leaving Thistle to grasp at air while Ruby walked up the steps.

"Are you going after her?" Thistle was worried, she had never heard Ruby's voice like that… she had never seen the woman she loved in so much pain.

"Something like that." Was all she said before she slowly walked up the stairs… and left Thistle alone.

* * *

It was stiflingly hot and pitch black out as the night sky was consumed by a dark overcast. The sound of heels clicked against the pavement as a figure walked down a dirty alley dimly illuminated by unnatural orange lights. She walked with purpose and conviction down her path through the night, her silver eyes cold and dull as she stepped out into a clearing with leading to an abandoned warehouse with a car far too nice for the neighborhood parked in front of it.

"I was surprised to get a call from you this late, but I was so curious that I just had to see what you wanted." A woman's voice spoke up, cool and dark from beside Ruby, leaning up against a wall across from the warehouse with a cigarette smoldering in her lips.

"Cinder." Ruby tone was cold and monotonous as she walked up to the woman, coming to a stop only inches away from her, the doctor's frigid silver eyes looking deeply into Cinder's rich amber.

"What a scary look you have… I like it." She smirked, putting her cigarette between her fingers as she pulled it from her mouth, tapping away the ashes. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company tonight?"

"You were right." Ruby said simply and cryptically, her vision blurring with tears that she thought she had run dry of. "I opened up my heart and it was broken."

"Ah, and now you're coming to me. I wonder what that could- hmmm!"

Cinder was cut off abruptly as Ruby rushed forward, rose petals scattering around her as she closed the small gap between them, pressing her lips against Cinder's as she roughly grabbed her by her hips. The still smoldering stick of tobacco fell to the pavement as Ruby pushed Cinder against the wall, working her lips aggressively against the woman's before moving forward slightly more, tilting her head back until it touched the brick wall before she forced her tongue into Cinder's mouth. Her heart was pounding and she felt that familiar, blissful fire in her chest, flowing through her body and clouding her mind, burning away all the pain and heartache. She could feel Cinder relax in her grip, moaning softly as she let herself be prey, wrapping her arms around the doctor as she quivered with pleasure in her grasp.

"You. can. never. leave me!" Ruby growled as she pulled away, glaring into Cinders eyes, jerking her back to her by her hips.

"I wouldn't dream of it." Cinder's voice… sensual and seductive, begging to be taken and for once… Ruby gave in. She leaned forward, gently kissing Cinder, her fingers running slowly up her bare inner thigh as her other hand unzipped the back of her dress.

 _We're both monsters… we deserve each other. After all… monsters don't get angels._

* * *

 **Author's Note-**

 **I hope you've all enjoyed. With this chapter we've reached the finale of the first arc. Don't worry, I still have two more arcs planned but this is the end of the beginning. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy the rest of what I have panned for this story!**


	10. A New Beginning

"Hmmm." A soft, blase hum filled the otherwise nearly silent exam room. A young woman with long, bright red hair lay on the bed, her belly exposed and showing the telltale bump of pregnancy while steady hands slowly worked a device over her abdomen through the shimmering gel the covered her stomach. A man with long blonde hair tied in a ponytail dressed in armor stood by his wife's side, holding her hand, staring at the screen which to him was little more than incomprehensible vague shapes… even so, he could see his child in that screen.

"Do you want to know the sex now or do you want it to be a surprise?" Ruby stared at the screen, one hand on the ultrasound wand and the other resting in her lab coat pocket. Her voice was… dull, it had lost its luster and silver, not helped at all by the presence in the room that was the man that stole her first love… and whose baby she was looking at, growing inside Pyrrha's uterus.

"Well…" Pyrrha smiled so warmly and fondly at him, Ruby could hear the love and excitement in her voice. The loving couple exchanged the brightest smiles and the most affectionate gaze as they held each other's hands, Pyrrha's emerald eyes glistening with tears. "We want to know now."

"It's a boy." Monotone and cold, she didn't even try to pretend she was happy for them… she didn't have the strength.

"Oh Jaune, we're having a son!" Pyrrha's voice was tight with the strain of being on the brink of crying.

"This is great, I've always wanted a boy! Guess we should start thinking of names huh?" Even Jaune sounded on the verge of tears as he tenderly put his forehead against Pyrrha's, wrapping his arms around her.

"I may have a few in mind." The huntress laughed weakly, feelings of safety and love in her husband's embrace, she closed her eyes and let everything really sink in.

"I want you to come back regularly for scans and tests, just to make sure everything is okay. However, as of right now, the baby looks to be developing normally." With a soft sigh she pulled off the wand, setting it aside before grabbing a handful of tissues and dropping them onto Pyrrha.

"Thank you Ruby." Pyrrha took a shaky breath, still leaning against Jaune as she wiped away her tears, looking to her doctor who had kept her back turned to them as often as possible during the procedure. This was not the same Ruby she had know… _I guess I never really knew Ruby though. That's why we couldn't work back then._

"It's my job." Lifeless and broken, those were the only two words that Pyrrha could possibly use to describe the young doctor that was once so vibrant. She was like a beautiful flower that had wilted away, losing all of its beauty and tenderness, stripping it of its essence… who she was.

"I'm sorry about Blake." Her gaze drifted down in sorry for the girl she had once loved, even now, after everything, she didn't like seeing Ruby hurting.

In the quiet room you could hear the softest, most pain filled breath imaginable, all the anger and heartbreak pooling in her lungs like fire and liquid nitrogen, escaping past her lips, leaving her with nothing in her soul… only emptiness. Her fist balled in her lab coat pocket, gripping tight around the metal handle of her sheathed scalpel. She could feel her heart pounding and her mind screaming at her, showing her over and over again… the image of a beautiful young cat faunus… walking out of her life that night.

"Thanks… it means a lot coming from you." Her muscles relaxed with with another soft exhale she turned to face them, her long black, red tipped hair flowing as she moved. She smiled down at Pyrrha with an unnervingly forced to so subtly small grin. _You don't care. If you did, you would never have just left me for him like you did, without word. If it wasn't for you… if it wasn't for you, I could have told Blake that I loved her and- and she might still be with me._

"She had the right idea." At those foolish, callous words from Jaune, even Thistle who had been leaning quietly against the wall across from them stepped forward, her eyes narrowed dangerously and her hands resting at her sides.

"Jaune, that was uncalled for." Pyrrha glared at him in reprimand but even so, Jaune didn't pay attention to her or even Thistle, no, his deep blue eyes were focused squarely on the doctor standing on the other side of his wife. For a long moment, Ruby's expression was completely blank, devoid of anything that could differentiate her from a broken, lifeless doll… and then, a dark and terrifying grin pulled at her lips, her silver eyes stilled dulled with pain.

"Jaune… you like to help people don't you?" Her tone had shifted dramatically it dark, it was dangerous, but it was soft and playful, almost gleeful as she stared down with predatory, hungry eyes at the little boy who had dared to cross the monster. "I have a clinical trial for a drug I've developed, it's called Hell Fire, I think you're a perfect candidate… shall I sign you up?"

"Somehow… I feel like that was a threat." Jaune stood up, his hand reaching for his sword as he stared spitefully at the doctor.

"I wouldn't do that." By his side, a tiny woman nearly half his side had closed the gap between them before he even noticed, her hand on his over the handle of his blade. Thistle's soft purple eyes were cold, calm and clear, her focus solely on protecting Ruby. Even without her signature weapons, her chains and karambit knives… Jaune looked at the girl half his size and for the briefest instant, his eyes wavered with fear.

"Let go of me Thistle or I-"

"You know you're no match for me Jaune. This is a clinic and it's also my home, I won't let you hurt Ruby or this place. Now, calm down or I will kick your asses out the door…" Her glare burned with pure, unbridled hatred as she looked down to Pyrrha. "Both of you."

"Thistle, that's enough." Ruby walked over to them, her smile relaxed but sharp and cunning, more life sparkled in her eyes than had in… too long. "I think it's time you both leave and next time Jaune, do leave your weapons at home. I'd hate for your stupidity to cause Pyrrha's child to be fatherless."

"Jaune, we should go." Pyrrha wasn't a fool, she knew exactly what Ruby and Thistle were capable of. Even if she weren't pregnant, a fight with Thistle would not be something she would walk into if she could possibly avoid it.

"Fine, come on." Jaune growled, grabbing Pyrrha by her wrist, pulling her up off the bed as he stormed out, his wife however gave the pair behind them one last lingering glance, her eyes shimmering with sorry and pity. With a heavy heart she quickened her pace, following along after her husband, his grip loosening as his hand slid down her wrist until their fingers entwined… and they walked out the door. _I'm sorry Ruby._

"I don't like him." Thistle spat as the door to the exam room closed, leaving her alone with her boss.

"He's a fool." Ruby spoke so simply and coldly as she walked by Thistle, following the couple's lead out the door. _He has no idea that the only reason he still has a pulse is because of my dwindling respect for Pyrrha._

"Well, at least we won't have to deal with them anymore." The bodyguard shrugged as she walked into the lobby with her boss, looking up to see the exit to the Underworld close, shutting out the light of the day as the couple left their clinic.

"No, I know Pyrrha, she'll come back. She's knows I'm the best and she knows I won't let anything happen to her." She didn't' even wait to get outside before she pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from her pocket, placing the stick of nicotine between her lips. _Though maybe she shouldn't be so sure. Then again, if I really knew her, I would have seen her leaving me._

"You handled that better than I expected. I thought I'd have to help you clean up another body." A man laughed halfheartedly from the front desk, an unlit cigar between his fingers and his can held loosely in one hand, letting the floor support it. By his side, Neo looked more worried as she had the few times she had seen Ruby since Blake left her. She was afraid that would happen and now, Ruby's heart was broken. Neo wanted nothing more than the slice the faunus' stomach open and pull out her intestines with her bare hands for hurting her… but she knew Ruby would hate her for it. So just like with Pyrrha, she had to hold herself back.

"Roman, Neo, I didn't know you were here." Ruby shook her head, stuffing the pack of cigarettes back into her pocket as she and Thistle walked over to them. "Anything I can help you with?"

"What? We can't just drop by to see our favorite doctor?" He chuckled, standing up straight, his stunning green eyes mischievous and excited. Ruby knew that look… Roman had something up his sleeve. If it wasn't for the fact that she trusted him with her life, she would have been too suspicious to let him keep playing.

"I've barely seen you since… anyway, if you're here for a friendly visit I don't have any other patients to deal with right now. Wanna go out and have a smoke?" She was dying for her fix. She noticed that her smoking habit fell dramatically while Blake was living with them and now, she was going through a pack a day.

"Well you know, we've been busy." His smirk was bright and eager as he reached into his pocket, taking something in his hand but keeping it concealed in his fist while he gently took Ruby's hand in his own, opening her palm before placing the item he was so excited to give her into it.

"A key?" Ruby looked down at the unassuming length of toothed metal. "What is this Roman?"

"That, is the key to the next phase, if you're ever up to getting off your heartbroken ass and getting back to work." His cocky, suave grin softened to a warm and reassuring smile as he placed his hand gently atop Ruby's head, running his gloved hand tenderly over her hair. It was a gesture they had not shared in a long time but to Ruby and Roman… it meant something special.

"So… you're really found it." There it was, exactly what he wanted to see, in those now sharp silver eyes he could see the gears turning in her brain and the life and fire flood back into her veins, what was once pale and dull was now deadly razor sharp and vibrant.

"Well, I figured you could use something to cheer you up after Blake left. We've spent the last three months trying to track that down. I'll tell ya Red, it wasn't easy so don't let it go to waste." His smirk returned as he pulled his hand back, letting it fall into his pocket. "I've known you for a long time, I know how you got when Chick Magnet did the same thing to you, I know it hurts now but you'll get past it and you'll be stronger for it."

"But I'll never get them back… no matter how strong I am." Her soft words left her lips gentle and fragile like snowflakes as she looked down at the key, tears pooling in her mirrored eyes.

"Probably not, but you've got a long trail of bodies and a lot of blood on your hands. You can't stop now… after all, you've got someone you're still fighting for, someone you've been fighting for this whole time." He hit the tender spot in her heart, he could see the passion flare up in her eyes once again. She just needed a gentle push.

"Speaking of which, where is that smart-ass doorstop?" He looked around the room even knowing full well Yang wasn't there. Even so, it was unlike Ruby to leave her sister alone.

"She's getting her new wheelchair I had custom made in collaboration with the Atlesian Military. She's had to go through months of practice to get the interface down but today is her last appointment and she'll be bringing it home in few hours." Now she seemed excited and more than a little bit pleased with herself.

"Buying a fancy new toy for your sister? Aww How sweet of you!" Roman and Neo who had taken up his side bother barely stifled a giggle at her expense.

"Yeah well don't go telling all your friends, I have a reputation to maintain." Ruby put her hands on her hips as stood up tall, puffing her chest out ever so slightly.

"Yeah, you're a real terror at less than five and a half feet tall." Roman snorted a laugh, poking Ruby in the forehead and nearly knocking the smaller woman off balance. "Yeah, real scary."

"Hey, you wanna try that with me?!" Thistle snarled, stepping between Ruby and Roman with a defiant grin baring her teeth.

"Heh-heh, no thanks kid I- hey, I just realized, we each have our own pintsized badasses." Roman blinked in surprise at his realization, looking from Neo to Thistle and back again.

"Huh, you're right, and they're both kinda sociopaths with a violent streak." Ruby couldn't help but giggle at the outraged face her bodyguard was giving them and Neo didn't look too thrilled either.

"Pfff, sociopath with a violent streak, you're one to talk. At least I don't get off on killing like you and ice cream over there." Thistle huffed indignantly, backing away from Roman and taking up Ruby's side, standing across from Neo. The two petite women stared at each other for a long moment, looking their counterpart up and down. _Crap… she's right, I'm her Neo. Wait a minute… if I'm Ruby's Neo and Torchwick is with Neo then does that mean…_

"Blame Roman, he's the one that made me this way." Ruby shrugged with a halfhearted laugh, putting her cigarette between her fingers… until she saw Roman doing the exact same thing. _Crap, I'm turning into Roman… oh well, there's worse things I could be._

"Right, I was the one that made you this way." He scoffed, tilting up his hat as he looked down at her, remembering the terrified kid he had met years ago with big ambitions but no way to reach them. "When I found you, I already saw it inside of you, I've been in the business a long time and I knew you had a lot of potential. I just needed to help you get over those speed bumps."

"By speed-bump he means the first time I ever killed anyone." She smirked, nudging Thistle with her shoulder.

"Poor little Red was a mess afterwards, she was crying for weeks." He was laughing but Thistle could clearly see the fondness in his eyes and the nostalgia in his voice. It was an important time for them and their relationship.

"What was your reason for killing that first person?" She was genuinely curious. She didn't try to get into Ruby's personal life too much but this was a story she wanted to hear.

"Oh it's a long story Thistle, maybe I'll tell you later when we have some time alone." She looked to Thistle with a warm and genuine smile, something bright and pure that Thistle hadn't seen since Blake left… _No matter how hard I tried to bring it back._

"Alone time huh? Wonder what Cinder would think of that." Despite his unfailing grin, no one missed the not of displeasure in his voice. Clearly, Roman approved of Ruby's relationship with Cinder about as much as Thistle did.

"Cinder and I have an understanding… sort of." Even Ruby didn't sound so sure, her gaze averting from her friends in shame and frustration at the disapproving looks. "It's just sex and we both know we're using each other. She just wants my resources and I… I just need a distraction."

"You're both playing with fire. Cinder isn't someone you want to get into bed with." He knew that his protege falling in love with that Kitten was going to end badly and he had an even worse feeling about Cinder.

"She's not so bad… in bed I mean." Her voice became cool and sensual, her playful and flirtatious smirk sent heat rushing to Thistle's cheeks and chest, stirring a powerful desire within her… and then an intense jealousy.

"I just hope you don't end up getting hurt again… or worse." With a sigh and a shrug of his shoulders he gave a small jerk of his head for Neo to follow him. "Well, we should get going, do tell your girlfriend I said hi next time you see her."

"Sure, and Roman… thank you again, for making me feel better." A caring and grateful smile formed from her lips as she walked over to him and Neo, catching them before they could move and putting her arms around the two of them. They were warm and she felt safe… _But it's still not the same… not like when I held Blake._

"What are friends for?" He said simply with a loving grin, him and Neo at once returning the embrace. "Whenever you need us, just give us a call."

"I will Roman, you two be safe okay? I don't want to lose you." After Blake had left, Ruby surrounded her heart with mountains of ice… as she held Roman and Neo, Thistle could see her heart beginning to thaw.

"You won't get rid of us that easily kid." Roman held her just a little tighter, a more gentle and content smile forming on his lips for only a second before he pulled away, letting cool air rush in between them while Neo's fingers brushed down the length of ruby's arm, prolonging their warm and loving contact for as long as she could.

"I'll see you both soon." She looked better… better than she had, sharpness, clarity, happiness and ease, things that Thistle had taken from granted in her boss until the day Blake left. All she could be is happy for her.

"Next time we'll have to have a few drinks, the strong kind." With a laugh and a tip of his hat he turned to walk out the door, his cane tapping against the tile with every step. However, Neo wasn't following behind him just yet and in a blur of pink, brown and white, she rushed over to Ruby, wrapping her arms around her and burying her face in Ruby's shoulder, holding her close, tight. They had known each other for so long, they didn't need to speak for Ruby to understand what that hug meant… and she appreciated it more than words could express. _I'm safe and I'm loved._

Taking in the warmth for just one more moment, Ruby finally had to make herself let Neo go, giving her a smile brimming with gratitude and a small understanding nod. Relief flashed in those expressive pink and brown eyes and the warm smile was returned and the nod reciprocated. Then, Neo followed Roman, grabbing him by his arm and following him out as they left the underworld together… a bittersweet sight for Ruby.

"I was a fool." The doctor whispered bitterly with a soft shake of her head and a pain filled smirk.

"Ruby?" Thistle frowned, she had hoped the happy Ruby would stick around just a little bit longer… for her.

"Don't worry Thistle, I'm fine." She didn't even try to sound convincing, she didn't even care. It just hurt too much. _Pyrrha is an angel with a hero like Jaune, Roman is a monster with a monster like Neo. I was a fool to try and have it all… Blake wasn't meant for this darker, bloody world. I'm a monster who has only opened her heart to angels. It's my fault I keep getting hurt._

"Ruby… I-" Her hand reached out for the woman she loved grasped only at air as Ruby turned her back on her. _I'm right here…_

"Come on Thistle, I need a cigarette." In an instant, as soon as Roman and Neo left, all the pain of losing Blake came rushing back. For Thistle, she wasn't sure what she was feeling as her hand fell weakly back to her side… but it hurt.

"Yeah, I could use one t-"

"Help!" A scream echoed through the clinic as the door was kicked open off of its hinges! "You have to help her!"

"Coco!" Ruby looked up, her heart pounding as she saw a tall woman with short, dark brown hair, a long strand hanging on one side dyed caramel wearing sunglasses and a beret, dressed in a police uniform and covered in blood as she descended the stairs. In her arms, a small, pale figure dripped crimson from her limp body, a faunus with long bunny ears atop her head.

"Please… Ruby, you have to save Velvet." Coco was trembling, tears rolling down her cheeks as she held the small faunus close, blood oozing through Velvet's bullet proof vest in her belly, her leg and her shoulder. Her long long brown hair was stained with her vital fluid.

"Thistle! Get her into the OR now!" Ruby demanded and without another word her bodyguard ran to fetch a stretcher. "Don't worry, I'll do everything I can!"

"Please… you can't let her die Ruby." Her quivered breaths were shallow and rapid as she handed off the bleeding body to the doctor… before collapsing to the ground in a pool of Velvet's blood.

"Here!" Thistle came to a grinding halt bringing the stretcher to Ruby's side. Effortlessly Ruby placed the taller girl on the bed, carefully and gently laying her down before giving Thistle a subtle nod, her bodyguard running Velvet to the operating room as fast as she could.

 _I'll do everything I can… but it doesn't look good._

* * *

"This is really bad…" Ruby had cut the young faunus detective's clothes off, revealing the extent of the trauma from the surface of the bloodstained skin. One hole in her lower left abdomen oozing blood fast, her breathing was weak and unsteady and her blood pressure was falling and her heart raced fruitlessly to keep her body going. Her upper thigh had a gaping hole but it wasn't her main concern, the bullet had lodged itself in her bone but it missed the major arteries by merely a centimeter. The bullet shattered her collarbone and stopped on impact with her shoulder blade. However, of most immediate concern was the gaping hole in her abdomen.

A unit of blood fed into her veins, the second one Velvet had bled through since Ruby prepped her and an with the amount of work to do the faunus was under heavy sedation. Gowned, gloved and masked, Ruby picked up her scalpel, a well stocked tray of surgical tools stood beside her, ready for just about anything. With her other hand she grabbed a sponge soaked in antiseptic, scrubbing down the area around the wound before getting to work.

 _I need to make an eight inch incision into the abdomen. Based on the entry wound, it looks like it would have gone straight through her large intestine._ With a focused mind and a steady hand Ruby took her small blade to the girl's pale skin, effortlessly slicing through the layers of skin, nerves and subcutaneous fat in a single, perfect cut. Then came the abdominal wall, already punctured by the bullet, Ruby making short work of it, splitting her flesh along the incision, opening up her abdominal cavity. With a bright light shining overhead, glistening in her blood filled cavity, Ruby reached inside her, putting her hand into the long incision, her warmth leaching through her gloves as she moved them long, muscular tube covered in vasculature.

 _The bullet shattered, her bowel is shredded. I can't repair this… it's been less than an hour since she's been shot, if I can do this quickly and get her on high dose antibiotics there's a chance I can get ahead of sepsis._ Her teeth gritted and her jaw bulged beneath her mask. It wasn't good and her patient's odds of survival were dropping quickly. _I'm going to have to resect part of the bowel._

With a steadying breath, she went to work. The extent of the damage was immense, the fragments of bullet shredded a four inch section of her bowel like a shotgun. It was oozing blood and waste into her abdominal cavity. Ruby grabbed her clamps, pinching down multiple times on both ends, the part closer to the anus and the end that ran from the small intestines. Cutting away the fascia she made the bowel mobile, pulling it up towards the surface to work on. With many clamps she shut down the large arteries that fed the bowel, the structures tunneled through a mass of fat and connective tissue cushioning and bracing the bowel inside the abdomen.

With a small, thin metal instrument with an electrically heated tip Ruby began to cut into the outer wall of the large intestine, the heat burning the flesh as it cut, stopping further bleeding as she worked her way through the bowel. Blood screamed and hissed as it was burned and the vessels were seared shut, the tool burning through her organs precisely and effectively. _Four inches, that's enough that I can reconnect the ends instead of having to make a stoma._

The clamps were in place and the windows made via electrosurgery, the cauterized openings leaving room for her linear stapler. She grabbed the tool, a very useful piece of surgical equipment for working on bowels that she didn't get the chance to play with enough. She slid it in the end nearer the small intestine, sliding its length through the incisions before loading the cartridge that would seal the bowel. With a firm clamp it snapped down, at once sealing and cutting the large intestine. Reloading the tool she moved to the lower segment towards the anus now detached from it the upper part with the shredded bowel hanging above the cauterized windows.

 _She's lucky, if the damage hadn't been so contained I'm not sure she'd have enough bowel left._ With a small, soft sigh she felt the danger easing and her body relaxing. With her mind still as sharp as her scalpel she reached in, putting the length of the linear stapler through the openings before clamping down, sealing and cutting the damaged bowel off, now hanging only by a thread of stringy muscular tissue which she promptly cut off with her scissors before reaching in and pulling out the severed flap of large intestine, placing it in a metal bowl on the tray beside her.

 _Now I just need to reconnect them and the worst of it is over, I can remove the bullets and get the fragments in subsequent surgeries but she'll be out of the woods if she she can beat sepsis._ Ruby grabbed her electro-scalpel and clamp, pulling up one end of the bowel by its tip before cutting it off, burning the blood vessels shut as she created an opening. With the upper side she repeated the process, opening up a tip of the shut bowel before laying it back down. 'Last stretch, you're almost there Velvet, just hold on okay.'

With that Ruby brought up the two lengths of intestines, putting their walls side by side, moving away the fat and connective tissue that makes up the mesentery as she rotated the bowels. With each half of the stapler inserted into the openings she camped down, sealing and cutting the walls, bringing them together along their lengths. Finally, she could close the large intestine, pulling up the holes she inserted the stapler in she lengthened them before bringing them together and stapling them shut, resealing her large intestine.

"You're okay Velvet… just hang in there. I made good time and Coco brought you here to me right away. I think you'll pull through this." She smiled with a heavy sigh of relief, putting down her stapler. _Now I need to remove as much of the bullets as I can, closer her up and cauterize the bleeding vessels._

 _I wish you were here for this Blake… I would have loved for you to see me save someone._

* * *

"How is she!?" Coco jumped up immediately the instant she saw Ruby walk out of the from the operating room.

"She's going to need more surgeries, but for now her biggest threat is infection. I have her on high dose broad spectrum antibiotics as well as more targeted ones to kill the bacteria that lived in her bowel. Once she's safe from sepsis I can go back in and remove the rest of the fragments." She looked exhausted and drained, but even so, Ruby's eyes were alive and sharp.

"This is all my fault…" Through gritted teeth and a tight throat Coco whimpered the admission as she pulled looked down in shame and guilt.

"Huh, I figured that's what happened." Ruby shrugged nonchalantly, reaching into her lab coat pocket for her cigarettes, pulling one out with her lips. "Want one?"

"No… I'm not in the mood." The usually strong and confident detective was now broken and stained with the blood of someone she loved.

"Suit yourself." With that she put her pack back into her pocket and pulled out her lighter, flicking it open and sending the shreds of tobacco into a smolder. "You know, this is what happens when you have a vendetta against the most powerful drug cartel in the world."

"I mean, even if you were trained as Huntresses, you should know you're not invincible. I figured you'd have learned that after your last partner died in my clinic after being in nearly the same position you put Velvet in." Her tone was listless and blase as she took a long drag off her cigarette.

"Velvet… she's not going to- she's gonna make it… right?" Coco was numb, barely registering anything Ruby was saying as the shock set in.

"Like I said, if she can stave off sepsis she has a pretty good chance." As she took her slowly burning stick of tobacco from her lips, putting it between her fingers, a dark and devious smile gave her face a chilling aspect, her eyes became hungry like a deadly predator that had just found its prey.

"Tell me Coco, what would you owe me if I destroyed the Venom Cartel for you?" At that, Ruby suddenly got Coco's undivided and uncompromised attention.

"If you could destroy them… I'd owe you my life." Hatred, bitterness, fear, worry, love and rage all flashed in her eyes reflecting the storm of powerful emotions that clouded her mind.

"I just saved Velvet and I know what she means to you. You already owe me your life." Her voice was cool and soft but the darkness in it sent chills down Coco's spine as Ruby's soft and delicate fingers lifted up the detective's chin, bringing her eyes up to meet those hungry, devious silvers. "What I want is everything else. I want your resources, your influence, your power and most of all… I want your loyalty."

"Sell my soul to the Devil… to take down another devil." Her body stopped shaking and her dark brown eyes hardened with resolve and passion. "They almost killed my Velvet… if you can stop them, I'm all yours."

"Good answer." In a split second Ruby's smile became bright and warm, her fingers slowly pulling off of Coco's chin as she stood up straight, her eyes brimming with excitement and glee. "Thistle! Call Roman and have him come back here!"

"What do you want me to tell him?" Thistle did not like where this was going, but she knew, things were already in motion, Ruby had made a decision, she could either help and protect her, or get crushed by her heartbreak fueled warpath.

"Tell him… we're going to war."


	11. Milk Thistle: Part 1

Darkness and silence… that was the extent of what she could see and hear, aside from the soft, steady breaths constant and peaceful beside her. Still, as her boss slept, large lavender eyes stared up dully at the ceiling through the darkness, her heart heavy and cold and her mind kept from the embrace of sleep by worries, doubts and feelings that she couldn't even begin to figure out how to deal with.

Thistle lay on her back, her hands resting between her head and her pillow, insomnia plaguing her again as it had… _Since Blake left. Everything has been different since Blake left. I've been with Ruby for two years, staying by her side and falling deeper and deeper in love with her every day and then, in just two months Blake is the one to capture her heart, to open it up after Pyrrha broke it. I couldn't do it… and Blake did. Then, she just left us._

 _Things haven't been normal since then between me and Ruby. I- I never admitted that I loved Ruby to anyone before but I told it to the person who I knew she loved and then she left… and I have Ruby to myself again, Cinder aside, it's like it was before she came into our lives. Even so, Ruby hasn't been cuddling me at night anymore, she's been pulling away I can feel it. I really miss her touch…_ A bitter, painful smile pulled at her quivering lips as she closed her eyes, focusing on the soft breaths of her loved one with only a few feet of bed between them.

 _And now, Ruby's lashing out, she has no idea what to do with heartbreak anymore so she's going to war to channel that pain. The Venom Cartel… according to Torchwick they are the most powerful drug cartel in the world, their drug is extremely addictive and dangerous and causes a lot of death. Their command structure is based on a hierarchy of power with the most wealthy, violent and influential on top and those looking to climb the ladder have to be even more bloodthirsty and ruthless. These won't be like any enemy we've ever faced before and this will be a real war with countless bodies piled up by the end of it._ She could feel her muscles instinctively tense at the prospect, her body readying for the looming danger.

 _I can't stop her… I just have to protect her. I'm a powerful ex mercenary, I've never lost a fight and my Semblance allows me to take on any threat… but it can't help me protect Ruby from herself… and it can't protect my own heart from being broken._ It was there, in her chest, so tiny and fragile, something warm and precious that had never given anyone before and now, all she yearned for was to give her heart to Ruby, even knowing she could so easily destroy it.

 _She couldn't do it… she couldn't tell Blake that she loved her and now she's going to suffer with that moment for a long time. I- I don't want to end up like that, I don't want things to go unsaid… maybe I should just tell her. Should I though? Would that really be what's best for her right now?_ It hurt… it was chaotic it was confusing it was powerful and more than anything it hurt so. Damn. Much.

"Hmmm… hm…" A soft but stressed hum came from beside her, ripping her from her thoughts thoughts and bringing her attention to the frantic grumbles and murmurs at her side.

"Ruby?" A gentle whisper left her lips as she rolled to her side to face her beloved, all her thoughts and inner turmoil was burned away with one consuming worry as she saw Ruby's small figure curled up in the darkness, her body twitching as she whimpered from some horrible nightmare.

Then, for a moment, there was nothing else in the world that mattered to her. Thistle's eyes soft and glistening with compassion and love focused on the barely illuminated details of her pale, perfect skin and the gentle features of her face, the slight roundness and youth to it, the steady rise and fall of her body as her lungs filled with air and then expelled it, repeating it over and over again, sustaining her even through the darkness of sleep.

 _Don't worry, I'm here. I'm always here for you._ Her movements were careful and delicate as she pulled herself closer, putting one arm over her and the other under her neck, pulling the small sleeping girl towards her, resting her chin atop her head, smelling the coconut and honey from her shampoo that gave her silky, soft hair the distinctive scent.

Thistle could feel Ruby's warm, smooth skin against her own, she could feel her entire body shift with each small breath in her arms. An indescribably blissful fire flared through Thistle's chest as she held her love tight, closing her eyes and taking in everything about her that she could. Ruby was warm and soft, she slender and she drooled a little in her sleep, she had the faintest snore and the cutest hum of contentment as she relaxed in Thistle's arms. She held her as tight as she could, pressing her close against her chest, feeling as much of her as she could while the nightmare ebbed, leaving Ruby again sleeping so soundly and peacefully.

 _Ruby… I love you! I love you with all my heart!_ Her jaw clenched again, her teeth biting down to the point of pain as her eyes squeezed shut, tears dripping from their corners as she tenderly stroked Ruby's back, putting her lips to the top of her head, kissing her with all the love she felt in her heart. _I- I want to tell you… I want to! I love you! I want to give you my heart even though I know you'll break it because nothing could be breaking me as much as watching you suffer, nothing could hurt as much as watching you love someone else while I'm right here! I- I know you loved Blake but she's gone now! I- I couldn't make her stay, I tried Ruby, I tried for you because I want to see you happy… that's all I want… all I want is for you to be happy._

"Thistle…" A tired and dreamy voice cooed, forcing Thistle to jerk in surprise, horrified that in her emotional spiral that she may have spoken something out loud that she wasn't ready to say.

"Good morning." Thistle smiled, forcing her voice to normalize as rapidly as she could but even as Ruby came to alertness… she didn't let go, instead holding onto her just a little bit tighter. "Did I wake you?"

"I don't know." Much to Thistle's surprise and immense happiness Ruby didn't pull away, instead, the girl in her arms shifted, making herself comfortable as she put her face to Thistle's upper chest, her arms tucked between them as she held on to Thistle's toned, muscular shoulders. "You're really warm."

"Yeah, that's how living bodies are. I think you've spent too much time in the morgue." She had to wonder if she was still dreaming, her heart was pounding and she just couldn't get rid of that content, warm smile on her lips as she took another deep breath of her love's scent.

"Maybe I have…" Her words were suddenly heavy with something that Thistle couldn't quite comprehend as she felt Ruby snuggle up just a little bit closer. _Maybe I've been spending time in a lot of the wrong places lately… she really is warm. I missed her touch, waking up in her arms feels really nice._

"Ruby… I think maybe we should talk." She didn't want to, the moment felt as fragile as crystalline glass and as ephemeral as the first snowfall of the year. So she held on, her muscles straining to hold back her strength as she gripped her tight, all they while Ruby stayed relaxed in her grasp, letting Thistle hold her, indulging in the feeling of peace and safety in her arms.

"Yeah, we probably should." Thistle could feel Ruby tense against her as though bracing for some immense pain. What could she have to be afraid of? What could scare Ruby? Thistle was more confused than ever.

"There's something I need to tell you and, when you're ready… I want you to know how I-"

"I need to go wake Yang and start breakfast!" With that Ruby pushed herself free of Thistle's arms, letting cool air fill the void between them as she stood up from their bed, clearing the locks of hair from her shoulders letting her long hair hang back as she folded her arms over her chest facing away from her closest friend.

"You have a long day ahead, why don't you go shower, I'll get Yang up and dressed and then I'll start breakfast." She sat up on the bed, her knees up to her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs as she looked through the darkness to her love. She wasn't surprised… _It was too good to be true._

"Actually, a shower sounds nice. Are you sure you don't mind?" She couldn't bring herself to face Thistle as she reached a hand out for her Scroll on the nightstand, turning the lights on in the room, bathing it in a dim warm glow to mimic the sunrise.

"You're still my boss so no, I don't mind doing my job. Take your time in the shower, I'll take care of everything." A small sense of normalcy was just what Thistle felt they needed.

"Alright, thanks. If you need any help just let me know okay?" Finally, her defenses fell as a sense of ease took over, her arms falling to her side. Her brilliant silver eyes sparkled with warmth and gratitude when she finally turned to face the girl behind her still curled up in a little ball looking expectantly at her, her braid swaying gently at the side of her face.

"I will." With a smirk and a nod Thistle crawled over to the side of the bed before hopping off, standing beside her boss and playfully nudging her with her shoulder.

"You better, it's an order." Ruby giggled, returning the gesture but not succeeding in making the petite girl budge even an inch… so she pressed harder, straining her muscles against Thistle trying to win just a tiny little bit.

"Seriously? You know you can't- hey! Hey what are you * _snort_ * s-stop! That tickles!" As was her way Ruby used cunning over strength, going after Thistle's bare sides, her chest covered only by her usual strip of cloth. She knew Thistle's weaknesses and in no time, with her fingertips dancing over her smooth, soft skin she brought the mighty warrior to fall, Thistle collapsing on the bed as she frantically tried to push Ruby's hands away through a relentless fit of giggles.

"Admit I've beaten you and this will all end!" She went on the offensive, straddling her opponent, pinning her to the bed as she tickled even more furiously, making sure every move was precise and effective, her onslaught wearing down the underworld's resident powerhouse as her giggles grew into breathless gasps and tears of laughter rolled from her eyes.

"I- I give!" She shouted helplessly between bouts of chortles, trying desperately to catch her breath while she struggled against her attacker.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you! You'll have to say that again!" With a wild and devious grin and playful eyes she attacked even more ferociously, going after Thistle's vulnerable armpits, forcing her to clench her arms at her side leaving Ruby free to continue on her sides with her other hand. It was a total and dominating victor.

"I surrender! P-please!" Thistle's face was turning red and her smile was hurting her cheeks as she her struggling grew weaker and weaker.

"Looks like I can beat the might Thistle." Ruby beamed with pride and happiness as she put her arms above Thistle's shoulders, her soft red hairs tickling Ruby's wrists as her bodyguard huffed for breath, staring up with a smile at her boss.

"I never could resist you." Her eyes softened and her smirk grew into a fond smile, the small weight that held her to the bed at her waist felt nice and comforting she felt warm under those big silver eyes and that radiant smile. _I love you Ruby. Someday, I'll tell you that… I promise._

"I know you couldn't… but maybe you should." With a soft sigh Ruby lifted herself up, taking herself off of her friend as she stood up, her once warm and loving eyes cooled with deep, dull pain. "Come on, we've got a busy day, we're going after a Venom lab here in the ghettos, according to Roman they should have the information we need to get higher up the foodchain to the big dogs."

"Are you sure this war is a good idea Ruby? I mean, I know you promised Coco but…" She couldn't say why she was actually against it, she couldn't bare to see that distant, pain filled look in Ruby's eyes if she mentioned Blake. _I wonder… if I left, would Ruby look the same way she does when she thinks of Blake?_

"It's not just for Coco, I could use this war to my advantage in our long term goals. Besides, I consider Velvet and Coco friends and anyone who hurts my friend will suffer." The dullness was whetted away in an instant leaving her silver eyes razor sharp and deadly with cold, calculating cunning. The monster was back.

"I'll do whatever you need me to do." Her gaze held conviction hiding her pain as she hopped off the bed once again, walking towards the door while Ruby made her way to their dresser to get her clothes for the day.

"I know you will." Ruby all but whispered as she pulled out her custom lab coat, behind her she heard a soft sigh before the door retreated into their wall before closing, leaving Ruby all alone in the big, luxurious but empty room. _I'm doing the right thing… aren't I? Heh, normally this is something I would talk to Thistle about but now?_

"I- I don't like this."

* * *

"Yang, it's time to get up, it's morning." Thistle spoke softly but loud enough to shake the woman from her slumber as she jostled her with her hand.

"Mmm… morning I guess." Yang grumbled, giving a long and satisfying yawn. "It's kinda hard to tell since this place doesn't have any windows."

"Yeah, I guess Ruby thought it'd be more secure that way. She wanted the place to be built like a fortress apparently so windows are kinda a liability when you think of it like that." Thistle knew Ruby made a lot of enemies and wasn't shy about making more so I could understand it from that perspective… _But Ruby's real reason for building this place was to protect the people she loves._

"If you say so. It's pretty much the only thing I miss about living with our dad though, looking out the window made me feel a little less trapped." A heavy sigh left Yang's lips as she looked up at the ceiling.

"You have more mobility than ever with your new chair and you can control the elevator and doors with that thing on your head reading your mind. Ruby's done everything she could to make you feel less trapped." She liked Yang, the was the big sister to the woman she loved and she was funny and just fun to be around. It didn't take long after meeting Yang for the first time for her to want to do whatever she could to help her be able to walk again, she could understand Ruby's convictions. Yang didn't deserve what happened to her.

"I know and I really appreciate it, it's the first time in almost as long as I can remember that I've been able to get around on my own at all. This entire place is kinda wired to my brain, Ruby's spend the last few months getting it ready for me so that I'd be able to do as much as possible on my own… she really is amazing. I guess I'm just having one of those days." Her lilac eyes were dulled with pain and her jaw muscles bulged at the sides of her face.

"I'm sorry Yang, but Ruby's fighting for you, she'll figure this out so don't give up hope okay?" Instinctively, Thistle moved to hold her hand, to comfort someone she cared about that was hurting… and then she remembered; Yang had no sensation below the neck. _I couldn't imagine what she's going through, being almost completely immobile for years, having everyone take care of you, having to give up modesty because you have to have people change your catheter bag every day and take you to the bathroom on a regular schedule because you can't know when you have to shit. It would be hell for me but Yang still laughs and smiles and worries about her little sister. Yang is truly the toughest person I have ever known._

"I know she'll try but I know the lengths she'll go to just to get what she wants. I can accept the things she does, the people she hurts or kills… I can accept all of it because I love her but what I can't accept is losing her because of the way I am. I don't want her pursuit of saving me get her killed." The helplessness, the feeling of uselessness that she felt bit so deep into her heart that she could barely breath. She wanted nothing more than to lash out, to hit something to let out the burning rage that boiled her blood… but she couldn't move.

"I won't let that happen!" Thistle snapped, looming over Yang in her bed, staring directly into her big, glistening eyes, her own burning with passion and strength. _I'll always protect Ruby._

"Thistle… can I ask you a personal question?" Yang's tone took a dramatic turn as it softened with compassion and worry.

"Sure, I guess." She had a feeling she wouldn't like where this was going but she couldn't exactly just leave Yang in bed and walk away.

"Why haven't you told my sister that you love her?" Suddenly her eyes grew sharp in the most unsettlingly familiar way, threatening and unrelenting as she stared at her friend, impatiently awaiting her answer.

"W-what makes you think-"

"Don't try to play that game with me Tsvetok! You've been hanging around Ruby for over two years now and you've never left her side, you tried to get Blake to stay when she wanted to leave, you've tried to make her smile as much as you could since Kitten left. You're in love with, what I want to know is why you haven't told her yet?" Her tone made it very clear, she wasn't dropping this.

"Okay fine!" Thistle growled even as she submitted to Yang's will, sitting down at the side of her bed with her arms folded over her chest. "I love Ruby, I love her more than I've ever loved anything… and that's exactly why I can't tell her, at least not yet."

"Blake leaving… it broke Ruby's heart just when she was finally moving past what happened with Pyrrha. She's barely been holding it together and she hasn't stopped hurting ever since. Don't you think I want to tell her!? I- I want to grab her, push her stubborn ass against a wall, pin her there and make her listen to me! I want to tell her that I love her and that I'd never break her heart, that she can trust me to always be by her side. I want to tell her that I would fight the entire world to keep her safe and I want her to wake up every day in my arms! I- I'm in love with Ruby… I want to tell her, I want her smile, I want to light in her eyes when she sees me like she had with Blake, I want to tell her every single day for as long as I live that I love her and treasure her!" Her body was shaking, she felt hot all over, her stomach and chest felt tight and her eyes stung as tears rolled down her cheeks while she hugged herself as tight as she could, trying to recapture even an instant of the warmth and love she felt holding Ruby.

"If you feel that strongly about then why-"

"Because it's wrong!" Thistle bolted up and spun around, the air hissing and crackling around her as her emotions mingled with her aura, flaring up her Semblance. "Blake just left three months ago! Ruby's in pain, she's hurting and she ran right into Cinder's arms! I'm not what she needs! She- she needs to heal… she needs time. How can I ask her to open her heart back up to me so soon? That's not love, that's selfishness." All that pain and anguish left her, pouring out of every tear strained word and every weak sob as she stood before Yang, panting for breath and shaking while drops rolled silently down her cheeks.

"Thistle…" Yang could feel it, she could feel the raw, powerful, unbridled emotions that drove her and at that moment, with those last few words, Yang suddenly felt as though she understood Thistle a whole lot better.

"I love Ruby… so I'm going to stay by her side until I can feel like she's ready to hear me say those words." Thistle swallowed back her tears and her feelings, relaxing her fists at her side and calming her Semblance. "Come on, let's get you out of bed."

"Alright but first I need to say… I need to tell you that you're wrong." That was not at all what Thistle was expecting. "Look, I know my sister, you could be waiting for another seven years for her heart to thaw again. If you love her, you need to reach in there and blow away the ice, expose the broken pieces of her heart and put them back together. It's not something I could do, or Cinder or even Blake. Thistle, out of all the people in the world, you are the only one capable of doing that. I hope you realize that soon because if you wait too long, you may be too late."

"Ruby… she'll miss us if you don't hurry." What could she say to that? What did she feel about it? Was it true? Thistle didn't have any of the answers. She felt something deep and permeating, something powerful and almost overwhelming; she felt afraid.

As Thistle set to helping Yang out of bed…

"Thistle…" A tiny, barely audible whimper left a tight, aching throat as silver eyes shimmered with tears, her small, shaking hands held together up to her chest where she could feel her pounding heart. Ruby leaned just outside her sister's door.

She heard everything.


	12. Milk Thistle: Part 2

"Ruby let me help with the dishes." Thistle's words were soft and heavy with distress and hope as she stood up from the table grabbing her empty plate, walking over to the sink with her boss to help clean the dishes they used for breakfast.

"Roman is waiting for us, we can do the dishes when we get back." Without pause Ruby dropped her and Yang's plates in the sink, turning away from Thistle before she even had a chance to catch up. "I'll meet you both upstairs."

"Why don't we go together?" The sound of ceramic falling against ceramic filled the kitchen as Thistle dropped the plate atop Ruby and Yang's, turning on her heel, her soft purple eyes glistening. Her heart aching as Ruby in response merely increased her pace, walking hurriedly to the elevator down the hall, the sound of her heels clicking against the polished concrete floors growing more and more distant until they vanished with the sound of the retreating elevator.

 _It's been like this ever since she got out of the shower… did I go too far in telling her I wanted to talk about my feelings? Is it that bad that she would just avoid me? Is- is there really no chance for us? No, I can't believe that, I love her and I know that once I can tell her exactly how I feel, she'll give me an answer._ It hurt and she was confused and scared, the price of giving your heart to someone is how easily they can crush it, she knew that going in but… _I never imagined it would hurt this much just not knowing._

"Thistle are you okay?" Yang frowned up from her chair completely aware of the unease and distance created between her sister and the woman that secretly loved her.

"I don't know." Yang had ever heard Thistle sound so utterly defeated as the bodyguard sighed softly, walking over to her with a dull, dejected expression. "I told Ruby before I woke you up that we should talk about how we feel… she's probably just scared."

"Do you think there's a chance she heard what you were saying to me? That big declaration of undying love?" She didn't want that to be the case but something was definitely up with Ruby and it was something big.

"She was in the shower at the time." With a weak, sorrowful voice she took the bib off of Yang, wiping her lips gently with a napkin but her gaze seemed to be at something far more distant and incorporeal. "Ruby… she wouldn't do that to me. If she heard how I felt, she would talk to me, for better or for worse, she wouldn't just avoid me like this. No, she's just stressed, we're in the middle of a war after all."

"Yeah, you're probably right, I was just thinking out loud, sorry." She didn't want to believe it could be true either but she had never seen Ruby the way she'd been that morning. _Sure, Ruby can be dark and ruthless but when it comes to us, to her family, she's warm and soft and caring. I've never known her to act like this to any of us. I've got a really bad feeling…_

"Come on, we shouldn't keep them waiting." The napkin crumpled up in her hand with no satisfaction in crushing it with such ease, giving her no reprieve from her stress as she threw it across the kitchen into the trash.

"Okay." With a soft sigh she closed her eyes, focusing on the chair, imagining it moving, imagining how it would move and how fast, repeating the words 'back up' over and over until… her chair reversed, the motor moving her compelled purely by her will with no assistance from anyone else. This was the most freedom and independence she had experienced in decades, the simple act of being able to go from A to B on her own.

"Ruby said you got used to it pretty fast and that the machine is working good for you." Small talk wasn't her forte but anything beat dwelling on the possibilities as they slowly made their way down the hall towards the elevator.

"I wouldn't call two months fast but I guess it was worth it. Pretty awesome that I can control pretty much the entire underworld with my mind, that makes me feel pretty badass… hell, just saying it makes me feel pretty badass!" She was grinning with smug glee as she they came to a stop on the elevator and with another deep breath to hone her focus, she shouted a thought to the plastic band secured around her head and just like that… they ascended.

"Okay I'll admit, that was pretty cool." It was nice seeing Yang happy, she had a really bright smile that just had a way of making things feel better, even if they sucked. _At least, as bad as things get, Ruby never stops trying to save her big sister._

 _Even so, she says that this war with the Venom cartel will help her long term goal… how does overthrowing a drug empire help allow Yang to walk again?_ It had bothered her ever since she heard Ruby say that. Her boss was always calculating and cunning and ruthless but there was always a reason behind everything she did, it always met some greater end that would put her closer to curing her sister. _But this war, it feels more like a heartbroken rage directed at the largest opponent she could find._

"Hey Thistle, if you keep spacing out I'll tell the elevator to bring you back to the Devil's Lair." Thistle was snapped from her thought by Yang's teasing voice as she drove ahead towards the ramp at the entrance to the clinic.

"My boss has accidentally created a monster, I knew one person shouldn't hold so much power!" She chuckled, putting her hands in her shorts pockets as she followed behind Yang.

"Yeah, I'm so menacing with my newfound ability to open doors with my mind in the Underworld and Devil's Lair." Yang snorted, struggling to focus on moving up the ramp without accidently thinking herself into reversing as Thistle walked at a leisurely pace by her side.

"Give her time, I'm sure while she's out destroying her enemies she'll somehow connect you to all of Vale." She didn't doubt it, it was so easy to imagine Ruby strong arming the council to enact legislation that would require all establishments to allow telekinetic access for someone like Yang.

"Here, let me get the door." They came to a stop at the top of the ramp and though it would have been faster for Thistle just to open the door for the both of them, she wouldn't rob Yang of the pleasure of doing it herself. After a few moments of concentration, the front door opened letting a gust of hot air and bright sunlight flow into the nice, air conditioned Underworld.

"Well well, look who decided to join us!" That gratingly taunting and smug voice hit Thistle's ears like nails on a chalkboard as she walked out with Yang to find Ruby, Neo and Torchwick waiting for them.

"Roman, always a surprise to see that you're still breathing." She was in no mood for Torchwick's shit. _Not even five seconds with him and I need a damn cigarette._

"Sounds like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. What's the matter half pint, trouble in paradise?" His grin as he leaned against his black SUV made Thistle want to punch in as she lit up a cigarette in her lips.

"Why don't you come a little closer and say that?" Her patience was gone and as she put away her lighter the air around her hissed and popped, her aura permeating through every molecule, filling it with energy as her aura flared and her eyes glared dangerously and defiantly at Torchwick.

"Thistle! Knock it off now!" A powerful and commanding shout rang out over Thistle's Semblance, silencing her power and drawing out a sigh of relief from Torchwick who was gripping his cane tight while Neo looked worriedly between the three of them, her umbrella ready for a fight she really didn't want.

"Whatever." With bitter spit she took a long drag off of her cigarette, playing it cool and cold while in her heart she desperately wanted Ruby to take back that tone, the words lacked the warmth that she'd come to know from the doctor and combined with her distance… _It hurts._

"Geez, someone's moody. Maybe it's just that time of the month." Roman didn't like being challenged but he doubted even Neo could take on Thistle who'd spent of lifetime as a mercenary and whose Semblance gave her an extremely potent advantage in just about any fight.

"Roman, maybe now isn't the best time to provoke my bodyguard." Ruby smirked at him, her hands resting in her lab coat's pockets. "Whatever is going on between Thistle and I well… that's our business right now."

"Right, I got it, just having a little fun at pipsqueak's expense, I'll drop it." As little as he wanted to provoke Thistle further he wanted anger Ruby infinitely less. So, reaching into his pocket he pulled out a cigar, lighting it and putting it in his lips to keep his mouth shut before it got him into any more trouble.

"Neo, would you please come down to the Underworld with me and my sister? I'd like you to take care of Yang while we're on the job." For the first time since just after they woke up, Ruby's voice and smile held that warmth and love as looked up into those expressive pink and brown eyes, worry quickly fading from that as she responded with an amiable smile and an affirming nod.

"Roman, Thistle, don't kill each other while we're gone." With that Ruby turned around with Neo following close behind giving a weary glance to her partner before descending into the Underworld with Yang.

"So…" He had already pissed Thistle off to the point of nearly and very literally exploding once but he couldn't just leave things alone, something was bothering Ruby and Thistle was at the center of it. "What's going on between you and the Doc?"

"What makes you think it's any of your business?" She was calmer now, with Ruby gone she saw an opportunity with Torchwick. So, as she took in a deep lungful of smoke she approached him calmly and disarmingly, her body relaxed and her tone as non confrontational as she could make it.

"For two years you and Ruby have been inseparable, you're special to her. Now, all of a sudden, after Kitten left little Red brokenhearted and now she's as cold as ice to you? What, did you declare your undying love for her or something?" It was no secret that Thistle had it bad for Ruby, about the only one he thought didn't know was Ruby herself. _As clever as that girl is she's terrible at dealing with relationships._

"I told her that we need to talk about how I feel about her. That's all she knows… I think." Torchwick wasn't an ideal person to open up to, they didn't like each other but they both loved Ruby in their own ways. _He's known Ruby a lot longer than me, it couldn't hurt to talk to him._

"Any reason you couldn't be a little more direct?" He knew Ruby was not one for subtlety when it came to relationships. She needed someone that could force their way into her heart. _I really thought Thistle would be the one but she's been so passive about it, at least Cinder had the balls to put the moves on Ruby._

"I- I'm…" What would have happened if she just said how she felt, right then and there? That question felt like it weighed as much a building on her heart. Ruby wouldn't be able to avoid her, she wouldn't be able to run away, she'd have to confront both their feelings right then… _So why didn't I? Heh, I know why…_

"I'm scared." It wasn't something that was easy to admit out loud but she was lost and afraid and the only person she could ask for help was standing right in front of her. "I'm scared she'll reject me, I'm scared she'll try to love me like I love her but can't… I'm scared that I'm not the one she really wants."

"And here I thought Kitten was the pussy of your little group." He made no effort to hide the contempt in his voice as he tapped the ashes from his cigar, looking down at the tiny girl in front of him. "Yeah, all of those things could happen, hell, it wasn't you she was pining after, even after two years Blake just walks into her life and steals her heart right out from under you and then smashes it into pieces when she left. Then, who did Ruby run to? Not the girl who's been waiting for her to be ready for years but Cinder, she ran to Cinder. In all honesty, you probably don't stand a chance."

"You going somewhere with this Torchwick?" A low and dangerous growl gave her words an intense bite that juxtaposed against the shimmering pools in her big lavender eyes.

"My point is, none of that matters. In the end, Ruby's heart is pathetically fragile and she's buried it behind walls of ice to keep it safe. Wanna know why I think she chose Blake over you? It's because of the position you're in, it's because of who you are to her. Losing Kitten hurt, but what do you think would happen if she let you into her heart and she ended up losing you?" If there's one thing Roman hated it was incompetence and Thistle's obstinate stupidity was hurting someone that was like a daughter to him, he didn't care how tough she was, he needed to knock some sense into her.

"I guess I understand but… what can I do if she won't even let me in?" She had to reign in that rage, that pain, that denial, the part of her that rejected the idea that it was her fault that she was hurting so much… and that she was hurting Ruby by her own weakness. _I came to Torchwick for help, I- I need to take in what he has to say._

"You're literally a walking explosive and you have to ask me how to deal with a wall? Are you being stupid on purpose or are you really this dense? You're almost as hopeless as the kid." All he could do was give a long resigned sigh.' _Since when did I become a relationship counselor?_

"Yang said the same thing…" Somehow, it just felt so much more potent hearing it from two different people who couldn't have collaborated. Was it really that simple? Was it really that obvious? _Am I really the only one who can break through her walls? Does she even want me to? And most importantly… what will I find on the other side?_

"At least one of you isn't completely oblivious." He always did like Yang, everyone liked Yang and she was at the core of everything Ruby did… until she met Thistle. "So, are you going to tell her?"

"I don't know, I don't want to hurt her and I don't want to get hurt. Roman… can I ask you for a favor?" Being humble was not something that came naturally for Thistle, especially to someone like Roman, but she knew she needed him.

"I'll do you a favor if you grow a pair and tell Ruby how you feel, you're both getting on my nerves with your baffling stupidity." He hadn't even finished his cigar and his rising stress already made him want another one.

"Fine, I'll tell her." It wasn't something she wanted to do, but it was something she knew she would have to do. So, with a deep breath, she steeled herself against the simulations running in her head of every way it could go horribly wrong and looked up into Touch Wick's emerald eyes, her own sharp with clarity and certitude. "Now, for my favor… I want to know where Blake is."

"Wait, why do you want to find Blake?" Well that took him by surprise.

"Because- because if I'm the not the one Ruby wants, if she rejects me even after I try I still want her to be happy!" Fire roared in her chest and burned in her eyes as she look up at Roman, even as her vision blurred and a deep, gnawing pain bit into her heart at the mere thought… _I still want Ruby to smile, Blake can give that to her._

"Ah true love, so sickeningly sweet I could almost vomit." He grinned at her, blowing out a puff of smoke as he took his cigar from his mouth, Thistle's cigarette slowly burning away between her fingers.

"I don't know how Neo puts up with you." With a bitter huff she put the filter of her cigarette firmly in her lips, sucking down the smoke as her irritation grew. _But maybe I can get Ruby just like Neo got Roman…_

"Heh-heh, doesn't hurt that I have a big-"

"Alright! I'm ready!" Ruby burst through the door carrying her little black bag of agony and torment. "You both good to go?"

"I have literally never been so relieved to see you." Thistle visibly cringed and shuddered as she turned away from Torchwick trying very hard not to think about what he was going to say next. _Tonight… I tell Ruby exactly how I feel tonight._

* * *

 **Author's Note-**

 **Sorry for the short chapter, I'll be updating again tomorrow to make up for it! I hope you enjoy =^-^=**


	13. Milk Thistle: Part 3

A long shadow cast over the narrow alley, the tall, dilapidated buildings on either side concealing the sun from above. It was dirty, it smelled like urine, trash and misery and it was littered with spent needles and cigarette butts, but it didn't matter to the young man that walked through the refuse and shadows. His sand brown eyes were dull and tired and his long, bushy brown fox tail dragged carelessly behind him, not minding getting his fur dirty.

"You got the cash?" The fox faunus' tone was exhausted and impatient, his hands resting in the pocket of his worn out hoodie as he came to a stop in front of a younger man, thin and pale and covered in bruises but smiling anxiously all the same.

"I- I wasn't able to get it all in cash but I got this watch, supposed to be worth like a grand easy!" The younger man shakily reached into his pocket, pulling out an ornate and antique gold watch, his fingers struggling to close around the timepiece to maneuver it.

"Sorry man, we only take cash, Lien, you know how it goes. Come back when you've got the money." He wiped his nose on he shoulder, never taking his hands out of his pocket as he turned around.

"Wait!" A tremoring hand shot out, catching his arm, the younger man's fingers barely able to wrap around the faunus' skinny forearm.

"Dude do you even know who I work for? Lay off before you get yourself killed and I lose a finger for putting you in the ground." He hated this part of the job, he hated dealing with these people, he hated giving away his fix to losers. He could feel the cool metal of his gun hidden beneath his hoodie tucked into his jeans at his side, if it came to it he knew he wouldn't have a problem using it, this guy was nearly at his expiration date. They could maybe squeeze another year or two out of him before he burned out. _Still, two years is a lot of profit, not that it matters if he can't pay._

"No look, I can get you the money tomorrow I promise, just take the watch as collateral! Come on come on!" His quaking grew more intense as he reached for the faunus' pocket, attempting to be subtle at first before lunging as his dealer pulled away.

"Back off!" His hand opposite the thief shot out of his pocket, pulling up his hoodie as grabbed for the handle of his revolver.

"That will be enough." A dark and chilling voice spoke up from nowhere, stealing the attention of the two men fighting, ready to kill each other over the drugs in the faunus' pocket.

Their gaze drifted over to a beautiful woman with long black hair tinted red near the tips wearing a lab coat, skirt and heels in the middle of the ghetto. Her piecing, predatory sliver eyes shined in the shadows and her amused and playful smile juxtaposed the danger she exuded to an unsettling degree. By her side was a shorter girl with bright red hair tied into a braid dress like a lazy hooker with an angry look on her face and chains wrapped around her wrists with knives dangling from them.

"Who the hell are you?!" The faunus barked, pulling his gun out and pointing it at the intruder while his potential customer ran off as fast as he could fearing they were the police.

"My name isn't important, but you, mister Alan Skye, are just who I was looking for." Something about this woman was really creeping him out, his finger pressed lightly on the trigger, ready to fire as he slowly backed away, never once breaking eye contact with those mirror like silvers.

"H-how do you know my name? You with the police or some shit?" His heart was pounding and his vision was tunneling, focusing solely on her. He could feel his fight or flight instinct kicking in as his hands began to shake, the woman smiling still even with a gun aimed at her head.

"Oh, I have my ways." Without hesitation and without fear, without deviating her cold, hungry eyes from his, she stepped forward, walking calmly and slowly towards Alan.

"Stay back! I swear I'll blow your brains out!" He roared, he bared his teeth, he brandished his gun, but nothing swayed that terrifying grin of hers as she drew closer, the smaller girl by her side following along just as confidently.

"Feigning bravery is admirable, it really is, but it's also pointless." He could barely hear her over the blood rushing through his ears, every hair on his tail was standing on end and his body was alert with fear and terror.

 **Bang!**

His finger squeezed the trigger, a bullet aimed right at her head as it exploded out the barrel… but it never made contact. In a blur of of steel the tiny woman burst forward, intercepting the bullet with her chain with inhuman precision and power, a secondary explosion blasting the bullet to glowing hot pieces that showered away from her chain, leaving both unharmed. The small redhead's purple eyes burned with an intimidating fury as her knives settled on the ground, her body positioned protectively in front of the woman in the labcoat who was still grinning menacingly at him.

"As I said, pointless." She looked like she was enjoying the horrified and shocked look in his eyes as blood drained from his face and his gun lowered to his side, still backing slowly and shakily away. "Grab him."

"W-what- hey! Let me go!" Before he even knew what was happening he felt himself get grabbed from behind, his gun knocked out of his hand while a length of metal pressed against his windpipe, the smell of cigars lingered heavily in the air as he struggled to get free.

"Good work Roman!" In an instant, her smile became warm and genuine and her eyes shined with bright happiness.

"You might enjoy the theatrics a little too much and that's saying something coming from me." Roman smirked, pressing his cane against his captive's neck while twisting one of his arms behind her back, pulling it just to the threshold of breaking, forcing him to grunt in pain but bringing his futile struggling to a stop.

"Hey, I stopped the bullet." The badass with the chains nearly pouted as she and their boss walked up to Alan who could feel his mouth grow dry and his heart pounding faster than ever as the silver eyes woman stopped only inches away from him, looking deep into his eyes.

"Sorry about the first impressions Alan but I needed to talk business with you in private, I'm sure an entrepreneur like yourself can appreciate that." She smiled softly, humming as she gently placed her warm fingers under his chin, lifting his head up to look into her eyes.

"Look, you don't want to mess with the guys I work for okay? Just let me go and I promise it'll be like this never happened!" He was panicking, begging for his safety, pleading to get away from the three that surrounded him… but that only seemed to entice the silver eyed monster even more, her smirk growing and her eyes flickering with amusement and insatiable hunger.

"Actually, it's your employer's that I'm interested in. I know you work directly for a sizable Venom lab somewhere in the ghettos. I want you to bring me there tomorrow." She looked delighted and gleeful as he shuddered, quaking with fear as he backed up against the man holding him, far, far more afraid of what was right in front of him.

"Y-you're crazy bitch!" It was all he could do to keep up his tough facade, his fast fading fear of his bosses being consumed by those eyes that burned into him like liquid helium.

"Unfortunately for you, you don't have a choice." She stepped away, opening up the velcroed flap of a black leather bag at her side, looking through it with an eager, excited expression until she pulled out a small, thin syringe. "Roman, hold him tight, Thistle, hold his arm steady please."

"What is that?!" He felt like his heart was going to explode as he hyperventilated and his pupils grew wide, staring at the mysterious clear liquid in the syringe. Thistle did as her boss instructed, grabbing his arm and forcing his sleeve up, his veins in the middle of his arm scarred with needle marks left over from extended Venom abuse.

"This, is insurance. It's peace of mind for me and it's incentive for you." With that terrifyingly vague explanation she pulled the cap off the needle and walked over to him with a warm and amiable smile which somehow petrified him even more than the dark grin she wore previously. "Don't worry, I'm a doctor."

"Stop! Please don't look I have money, I'll give you whatever you want just don't- Gah!" It was too late, despite his begging Ruby plunged the needle deep into his big blue veins, injecting him with the mysterious drug, the clear liquid pumping into his bloodstream until the vial was empty and she pulled it out, letting his deep crimson blood trickle from the tiny puncture.

"There see, that wasn't so bad." She cooed warmly as she recapped the needle. "You, Alan Skye have just been injected with my own custom poison. Only I have the antidote so going to the hospital would just be a waste of time. You'll feel okay for a bit, but then you'll get a fever and very quickly it'll be all downhill from there. With the amount I've injected into you I'll give you about four days to live if you don't do exactly what I say."

"W-what do you want?" He could feel the sting in his arm and as he imagined the poison flowing through him his stomach and chest grew tight and waves of nausea and cold washed over him, he could barely hear or focus but his life depended on what she was going to say next.

"I want you to go to your boss, the big one, the closest you can get to the top and poison him with this." Ruby placed a tiny vial of clear liquid into his open palm of the arm that he had been injected in.

"A few drops is all that's needed, his food, his drink, it doesn't really matter. It won't take long before they start to feel very sick, you should be okay by the time the this poison kicks if you work quickly. Then, you'll tell him you know a doctor who can help and you'll give him my card. Once I get the call, we'll do the rest and you get to live." She gently placed her card on top of the tiny vial of her poison before stepping back, gesturing at Roman with the most subtle movement of her head to let Alan go.

"Do you have any idea who you're picking a fight with, they'll kill us all." He his eyes were fixed at that tiny puncture in his arm, still trickling blood from his ever rising blood pressure.

"Not if I kill them all first." She said it so easily and calmly, like it was a given that she'd win, like she was an indomitable force of nature that even the mightiest drug cartel in the world was no match for. "Go, now, get the job done. I'll be expecting your call."

"You can cure me right? You have the antidote?" He clasped his shaking palm over his bleeding vein turning a pleading, meek gaze to the woman before him.

"Of course, you have my word as a doctor that if you do what I say and get this easy little job done that you will live, I'll even protect you from the cartel until I finish ripping them apart." She reached out her hand, clasping it over his, her card and poison resting between their palms as she gently shook it, leaning in to whisper in his ear, her breath hot and chilling as it washed over his ear and neck. "If you betray me, you will suffer beyond anything you could imagine."

"Now leave." Instantly the doctor's tone grew as cold as the most frigid ice as Roman stepped aside, giving Alan a path out. The faunus looked at the three of them, none looked like anyone he'd want to mess with… but the woman with the silver eyes was the most terrifying of all. With a whimpering nod he turned away, walking quickly with his tail between his legs, his new bosses watching as he hopped a fence and burst into a very fast sprint away from them.

"Welp, that's phase one down!" Ruby grinned cheerfully, placing the needle back in her little black bag as she joined her friends.

"I thought for sure that kid was going to wet his pants with the way you were going on. Your little jobs are always so much fun." Roman took a deep breath off his cigar as he leaned against his cane with one hand.

"And now it's on to phase two." She could feel it, that exhilaration, that thrill that merely wetted her appetite for even more. As much as it was true that everything she did she did for the ones she loved, it was equally true that she truly loved her work. _The fear in his eyes, the way he looked when I injected him with my poison, the way he begged… there's no feeling like it. I feel sickened at the same time that I feel powerful and seduced by the intimacy and helplessness. I really am a monster… it's time I embrace that and stop chasing angels._

"Do you really think he'll pull through?" Thistle caught up with Ruby, walking closely by her side, her lips pulled into a subdued frown. _She hasn't talked to me since we left…_

"Of course he will, his life depends on it." Torchwick increased his pace to follow them, taking up Ruby's other side as he tapped the ashes from his half burned down cigar.

"No it doesn't." Ruby said simply and matter of factly as though describing something so blase. "I injected him with ricin toxin, there's no antidote. He's going to die no matter what."

She continued walking, her long lab coat fluttering in the hot wind behind her like a cape, rose petals dancing long the white fabric, however, behind her, Roman and Thistle both came to a dead stop, staring at the retreating back in front of them before wearily looking to each other. That level of cruelty, how easily and remorselessly she sentenced him to death… it was a shock for both of them.

* * *

"So… we're going to another lab then?" Thistle's voice was unusually soft with worry and heartache as she looked up to her boss. She had changed since Blake left, grown colder and harder… _And apparently, more sadistic._

"No, we're meeting a representative of the cartel, someone mid tier but has a lot of connections to the higher ups, someone with enough ambition to be on the radar of the ones in charge." Ruby sat with her legs crossed, her head turned towards the tinted window as they drove deeper into the ghetto, well away from the clinic. Even Ruby's body seemed opposed to Thistle as she leaned at an angle away from the smaller woman, scooted away as far as she could reasonably get away with

"What are we going to do with him?" Normally she didn't ask such things but she could almost feel Ruby slipping and she was desperate to do whatever she could to hold onto her.

"Hmm, you'll see soon. We're here." She never once turned to look at her bodyguard as the SUV rolled to a stop in a large, nearly abandoned parking lot, the entrance of which was guarded by heavily armed men looking very weary of the visitor as the pulled in. The only other thing besides the near two dozen men that surrounded them was a black luxury vehicle parked at the innermost part of the lot. They were boxed in by men and buildings, the only way out was the way they came.

"Sorry Red but I think I'm gonna wait in here, me and this guy have a history, we both agreed to stay off each other's turf so seeing my face might just cause problems." Roman wasn't usually one for backing down from a street fight and that made Thistle nervous. The only people Torchwick feared were people like Ruby and Cinder.

"That's fine, I only need Thistle in case things go bad but everything should be fine." With a reassuring smile she unbuckled her seatbelt and opened her door, not giving so much as a glance at her bodyguard before she followed Ruby out, both closing the doors quickly behind them to protect Roman's anonymity.

 _Ruby… you never keep secrets from me. I never ask because I never have to ask, I can always trust you and follow along with whatever you have planned. Now? It's like you're pulling away, you're withdrawing from me. Is the idea of confronting my feelings so repulsive and bad to you that you'll just shut me out completely? Please… just tell me what's going on! I just want to help, I love you and I want you to know that._ Biting back her raging storm of emotions was nearly impossible as her heart felt like it would be ripped apart by forces far beyond her control.

"Well if it isn't the Queen of the Underworld herself. It's nice to finally meet you in person." A large, muscular man stepped out of the car followed by three armed men in suits and glasses. The man wore a designer suit and large rings and sunglasses and his head was completely shaved bald.

"Oliver, it's a pleasure to meet you as well. I hope the product we've provided for you has been suitable so far." Ruby was amiable as she walked with confidence and ease towards Oliver and his men with Thistle close behind, her eyes darting from guard to guard, playing out every fight in her head making sure she could protect Ruby.

"Oh it's been swell. You know, I was dubious about you when I heard you dethroned Rexxie but your company, Sandalwood now I think is what it's called? It's seeing an unbelievable rise in profits and to top it all off you've dropped prices on our purchases by selling to us in greater bulk. Rexxie didn't have the balls to go all in like that so I just had to meet you." He looked up and down at the young woman in a lab coat and heels and then to her petite bodyguard.

"Yes well there's a reason why Rexxie lost to me. I have true ambition and I know the market for Venom is only expanding. I'm happy to provide you with a necessary ingredient to get a cut of the profits, and it makes get the best kind of attention from the higher ups. It's an excellent partnership." Thistle almost felt sorry for this drug dealer, she knew that tone, she knew that look… he was being played just like Rexxie.

"Well if we keep this up maybe you won't be the only one doing some dethroning. I'm an ambitious man myself." He grinned as he stepped forward, towering over the two women, Thistle barely coming up to his shoulders.

"I'm pleased to hear that. I hope if that day comes it will be beneficial for both of us." She gave a small and courteous bow, her smile never faltering as she looked back up at him. "Now that we've dealt with the pleasantries we should get this transaction underway."

"Oh, about that, there is a slight problem." Instantly the atmosphere changed, Thistle could feel Oliver's security tense up, ready for action. Her instincts told her a fight could break out at the drop of a pin, but Ruby kept her calm.

"And what might that be? We've been doing business together for months and your supply has only increased." In her head Ruby felt as though she were playing chess against a lumbering beast. He thought he was clever, many who stood in her way did, but she was cunning. _He's nothing like Cinder, he's a tool, a means to an end. This man isn't a threat, I'll have him in checkmate before he even realizes it._

"The problem is you." His face darkened as his arms folded over his chest, taking an assertive step forward. "You've headed Sandalwood for months and have been supplying us for just as long but not once have you come along for delivery and now all of a sudden you ask to see me in person? I'm not new to this game, what did the cops get to you? Are those pigs watching right now? Do they have ears on us?"

"Hmm, you make a good point. How can I convince you that I'm not with the police? If they did know that I was supplying you with the means to make more Venom they could certainly persuade me to take a deal in which I turn you in… however, I'm a billionaire and one of the most powerful women in Remnant. I have the money and influence to beat anything they threw at me and even if they could somehow still force me into a corner, this is the only deal I would get, if I did anything else illegal and they were watching they could put me away which is something they'd most certainly want to do given everything I've done." Checkmate was only a move away and she wouldn't back down now.

"Something illegal? Did you have something in mind?" Oliver eyed her suspiciously, still dubious but he couldn't find fault with her arguments.

"Have one of your men give me a hit of Venom." She couldn't help but smirk at the taken aback look on his face, his eyes growing wider and his eyebrows raising, it was too amusing.

"Ruby!" Thistle grabbed her boss by her upper arm, pulling her back. She might not have listened to her before but she wasn't going to let her do something so stupid and crazy. "It's not worth it, we can prove it some other way!"

"Let go of me Thistle, that's an order." The ice in her tone bit into Thistle's heart like fangs pumping the most frigid water into her veins and in that dark and cold, she could do nothing but freeze.

"Ruby…" Thistle's voice barely left her lips before dying in the hot dry air, her mouth slightly agape as she held loosely onto the arm of the woman she loved, unable to feel anything but as though letting her go would mean losing her for good.

"Sorry about my bodyguard." With a smile at her opponent she jerked her arm from Thistle's grasp, her small hand falling weakly to her side as she just stared at her boss with a broken, hopeless expression.

"I'll take the Venom I'm about to get out of your fee, does that sound fair?" She took a very subtle, very soft breath to steel her nerves as she looked up impatiently at him.

"Fine. Omar, hook this fine lady up." His eyes held firm to Ruby's behind his sunglasses while one of his grunts approached, pulling out a syringe with a soft amber liquid. "It's all yours."

"Thank you." With a polite dip of her head she reached out and took the small needle from her grunt's hand, uncapping it as she rotated her arm, exposing her veins. _Checkmate!_

With a deep breath and an unhindered grin at her imminent victory she slowly and gently pushed the needle into her blue vein, feeling the pointed steel press through her skin before stopping in her bloodstream. She didn't hesitate as she slowly pushed the plunger, injecting herself with the illicit substance until the needle was spent.

"There, did I pass your test?" Ruby's face became stern and cold as she pressed her finger against the pinprick. "I've got maybe five minutes before this stuff seriously hits me so let's move this along now."

"Alright, you've proven your point." He chuckled, putting his hands up in the air. "You know people in our line of work can't be too careful."

"It's in the back, Thistle will take the money." Ruby could already feel the initial sensations of the drug as it coursed through her blood. She felt warm, pleasantly warm all over, like every individual nerve was getting a hug.

"Alright, money is in the back of the truck, come on sweetheart, I'll show you." He grinned at Thistle but the small girl barely registered a thing, her heart and mind solely fixed on the woman she loved.

"Go on Thistle, I'll be fine." She was struggling to keep a content a blissful smile off of her lips as the feeling grew and grew. 'This is going to be a long night… at least this is still the best I've felt all day.'

"Yes boss." All Thistle could do was softly shake her head and turn away. _I really am losing her…_

Every second the drugs effects became more potent, even as Oliver's men unloaded the crates of fine white powder and Thistle returned with two very large briefcases full of cash, all Ruby could think of, all Ruby could feel was the Venom. She did her research, this was just the glow, the vanguard of the pure ecstasy and bliss that was about to come.

"Well it was good to meet you, you're as interesting as I'd imagined. Who knows, maybe next time I see you you'll be my customer." He felt victorious, he felt powerful, he felt as though he had defeated her… but she couldn't even begin to care.

"I… I don't plan on making this a habit." She was starting to have trouble even putting words together as the intoxication took over her brain.

"Oh I've heard that one before… from all my repeat customers. Hahaha!" He patted her hard on the shoulder but she didn't even seem aware of anything anymore. "I expect to be seeing you again real soon."

And just like that, Oliver turned around, still chuckling to himself as he and his goons walked to his car, a gesture with his hand indicating for them to fall back and leave… so they did. Thistle watched with unbridled contempt and malice as he got into his car and drove away, rolling by them slowly… all the while, Ruby stared off absently into space.

"Come on Ruby… let's get you home." She was helpless, what was she supposed to do? How could she protect Ruby from herself? It was burning her up inside, pain and rage and loss and guilt all gnawing relentlessly at her heart as she took Ruby's hand in her own and led her into their car, buckling her seatbelt for her, the doctor becoming more and more distant.

"What's wrong with her?" Roman turned around, looking to the backseat at his protege who struggled to make eye contact.

"She took Venom." Thistle didn't even try to hide the fact that she was absolutely infuriated with that decision.

"Are you serious!? Ruby do you have any idea how dangerous and addictive that stuff is?!" It was rare when Roman showed such worry and compassion, when he did, Thistle knew things were really really bad.

"I… had to… it was the only way… he would trust… me." Her breaths became long and deliberate and she started to shiver ever so slightly as the drugs effects began to take hold at their greatest magnitude of the high.

"What was all this for anyway? We've been selling to them this whole time? Why? Ruby tell me what's happening?" Desperate for any sense of control or power she could grasp Thistle desperately pleaded with Ruby, even in her current state, to give her at least this.

"Rexxie Slate was- was dealing… he was dealing a c -critical component of Venom to the cartel through his company… when I took over I continued that." She licked her lips and smiled ever so happily, wrapping her arms around herself as every touch turned into unbridled pleasure.

"I thought we were going to destroy them, why are we selling to them?" Thistle couldn't even begin to figure out what kind of game she was playing at.

"I did destroy them… this was a major victory. I poisoned the base we sold them with a slow acting cyanide derivative. Anyone who takes it will die in hours." She giggled, her chest felt hot and loose like there was nothing holding her heart inside her.

"Oh god…" A chill of dread and horror crept over Thistle's skin as her eyes grew wide and her mouth agape at her boss.

"Red, that could kill a lot of people." Roman wasn't comfortable with this, the Roman Torchwick, he wasn't okay with the implications of what Ruby had just done, his face struggling to hold back a look for disgust and fear... fear for Ruby, someone he thought of as a daughter.

"Hee-hee… yeah… hundreds, maybe thousands… there's enough in that batch to kill about ten thousand people." Ever breath now felt like taking in pure love and creativity into her lungs, she could almost feel it following the oxygen into her blood as waves of bliss rolled over every single cell in her body. _It feels… like god is reaching into every fiber of my being._

"Ruby… that's mass murder." Her blood ran cold and her heart was strangled with guilt and sorrow as she grimaced disbelievingly at the giggling doctor.

"That's not how the media will see it… th-that's not how the legislation will see it and more than anything, that's not how… Oliver's superiors will see it. This will be a crippling first strike…" Ruby's body relaxed, she just couldn't take the unimaginable pleasure that filled her every time her muscles moved, it was too overwhelming… she she lay still, letting the feeling consume her entire being. "Yang… can never… know."

* * *

"That was stupid and self destructive." Thistle growled as she eased Ruby down into their bed, the covers already pushed aside for her. She had been on a nonstop tirade ever since Torchwick dropped them off. "You know how bad that stuff is and you just took it without hesitation! I had to lie to your sister to keep her from worrying! Do you have any idea what you've done to yourself. I looked online, it's the most addictive drug there is, almost everyone who tries it ends up a lifelong abuser."

"I can see why… I don't ever want this to end." Ruby hummed in contentment, the most cripplingly potent part of the high was largely passed and now she just felt warm and blissful and happy with no guilt, hatred, confusion or pain. _Nothing I think about hurts, not even the worst, most depressing things. This is the cure for pain._

"Ruby, I can't watch you lose yourself to this drug." She took off her vest, throwing it to the floor as she crawled into bed, positioning herself over Ruby, propping herself up with her arms just above her shoulders. "The pain… it's not so bad. I mean, I know how much it hurts… having your heart broken, but you can't just close it off. There are still people who care about you, please Ruby, swear to me that you'll never do this again."

"You shouldn't care about me, I'm a monster, I like being a monster. That's all I'll ever be. I don't deserve-"

"Shut up!" A piercing and pain filled cry cut Ruby off as Thistle grabbed Ruby by her shoulders, shaking her as her soft purple eyes blurred with tears that pooled on their surface. "I don't care that you're a monster! I don't care how many people you kill! I'm not Pyrrha or Blake damn it! I won't break your heart!"

"If you really mean that…" Ruby's lips pulled up into a playful grin as she reached her hands up, keeping her elated silver eyes on Thistle's as she wrapped her arms around her back, every inch of her skin that touched Thistle's felt like lightning made of pure bliss was flowing between them, it was like nothing she'd ever experienced, rivaling the pleasure of the strongest point in her high.

"W-what are you-" Before she could finish a word she felt the knot that kept her purple cloth died to her be undone quickly and easily with a few motions of Ruby's fingers. Her cheeks burned like fire was rushing through them as she felt the fabric loosen… before it was pulled off entirely, leaving her chest bare and exposed over Ruby whose gaze was hungry and her smile turned sensual as she slowly and gently dragged her fingertips down Thistle's sides.

"Mmmm, come on, this is what you wanted right?" Her bodyguard's cheeks were burned a deep pink and her expression was reserved, holding back whatever her true feelings were… but regardless, as Ruby trailed her fingers lower and lower down her sides she could feel the body between her fingers shift to accommodate them, her hips raising as she felt her loved one's thumbs slip under the band of her shorts and below her underwear.

"Ruby…" Part of her wanted to stop it, part of her wanted to push her away… but she didn't, a roaring inferno was alive in her chest, burning away her rational thoughts and leaving only her feelings. The feeling of Ruby's touch, that look in her eyes and the way she was smiling, it all broke her better senses.

Her heart was racing and her body tingled with excitement as she felt her shorts and panties slip down, leaving her bare as she held herself just above Ruby, her breaths faster and deeper as lust began to take control. All she wanted was closeness with the girl smiling up at her… it didn't matter how anymore.

"You're beautiful… I've always thought that." With one hand she unbuttoned her blouse while the other hand slowly rose up, reaching towards Thistle's face, her fingers tenderly caressing her cheeks on their way up until they reached her braid. "You look so much more beautiful without this, I think I told you that when we first met."

"Yeah… something like that." That was all it took to begin bringing her senses back to her, remembering that feeling, remembering just who Ruby was to her. _This- this isn't right. This can't be right. There's no love… this is just like with Cinder… this is just an escape. Ruby is using me._

"There." Ruby was beaming as she pulled the bead from Thistle's braid, working her fingers through the locks of hair until they hung down naturally against her head, the long strands coming rest at her shoulder and neck. Her apple red hair was silky and stunning when her braid was down, she looked like beautiful work of art, drawing out her very feminine look and accentuating it while her eyes still held that powerful, uncompromising strength. _I've honestly never seen anyone more beautiful in my life._

"Stop…" It was wrong, all of it, even as she felt Ruby's hand tenderly cup her breast, her nails sinking in ever so slightly as she fondled it, even as she felt the excited rise of fall of of Ruby's chest under her own hand… it all felt wrong.

"Thistle what's wrong? Isn't this what you-"

"No!" Her hand pulled up from under Ruby's bra and pushed away her arm, pinning it back to the bed as she huffed for breath, her heart pounding and her mind more clouded than ever. Even so, one things was still all too clear. "This was never what I wanted…"

"I can give you what you want." Ruby's bright smile softened and warmed as she struggled to move her arm down, bringing her hand into Thistle's as she pinned it to the bed. Those big, shining, captivating silver eyes stared deep into her with a depth of caring and compassion and tenderness she had only seen in those eyes once before… _With Blake._

"Thistle… I love-"

 **Smack!**

For a moment, Ruby wasn't sure what had just happened. Her nerves were still scrambled and all she could feel was a sudden wave of pleasure roll over her body but as she looked up, she saw Thistle… she was crying, her expression contorted with rage and pain as tears rolled down her cheeks, her bare chest covered with her arm as she trembled on top of her.

"No… no!" The air hissed and popped around Thistle as she delivered another slap to Ruby's cheek before grabbing her painfully tight on her shoulder, hot tears dripping down onto her skin from above. "Not like this! Now while you're strung out on Venom! These feelings are real to me Ruby! They mean something! I don't want you for sex and I don't need your damn pity! I just want you!"

"I know… I heard everything." Her perpetual grin cooled to a wistful smile as her eyes shifted away from those shimmering, tear filled purples.

"You… what?" Those words blew all of her turmoil away, leaving her empty and stunned as she stared down in shock and fear at the girl beneath her.

"I heard everything you were saying to Yang this morning… I know you love me. I've always know." She wanted to hate herself, she wanted to feel guilty, she wanted to feel sorry for the woman she was so clearly hurting… but the Venom only let her feel bliss.

"You've always know?" Her head dipped, her bangs and freed hair from her braid concealing her eyes as her grip weakened on Ruby's shoulder, but her tears never stopped falling. "Then why? Why, if you knew all this time, why did you choose them? Why when I was right beside you, did you keep pining over Pyrrha and then, all Blake had to do was walking into your life and you chose her first? If- if you knew then why didn't you say anything. If you don't- if you don't love me… I'll understand but… please… why did you let me keep believing I had a chance?"

"I was scared." The admission that she'd been holding back for years just came out under the influence of her high. There was no fear, was no pain, was no anger or heartbreak, just Venom. "I didn't want to lose you."

"I see…" A weak and trembling breath left her lips as she slowly and listlessly pulled herself up, pain and heartbreak turning her muscles to lead. She couldn't bare to look at Ruby, she couldn't bare to see her face or her eyes or hear her voice, even as she stood up she let her Semblance hiss around her ears, dampening any other sounds to the point of non existence.

"I'm going to sleep in the guest room tonight…" Her lip quivered and her fists balled at her side, she could barely see through the haze of tears that ceaselessly cascaded down her cheeks as she walked to the door.

 _Stop her…_

"Good night Ruby."

 _Tell her the truth!_

"Good night Thistle."

 _Don't let her go!_

It was too late. As Ruby lay in bed, smiling up at the ceiling, Thistle left her all alone to her high, but deep down, through the chemically induced euphoria, she could feel the cold sting of heartbreak.

 _I let her go… just like with Blake. Maybe it's for the best, I don't deserve either of them._

"I'm just too afraid… of losing someone else I love."


	14. Cooldown

Eyelids as sluggish as a glacier and as heavy as lead struggled to even quiver let alone open as a pale and sweat soaked woman lay in bed with her covers draped over the side of her bed. She wasn't sure how long she'd been awake or even when she fell asleep but she felt like it must have been pretty late… or really early. Her mind felt… distant, like she hand to journey for every thought, struggling to bring together even mere words in her mind as she fought for every inch of alertness.

Her body felt at once hot and cold, exhaustion weighed down every muscle and her thoughts seemed almost detached from her body, her will taking far too long to follow through her nerves and compelling her muscles to relax or contract. However, one sensation overwhelmed everything else, a gentle, fuzzy feeling that touched every nerve inside and outside her body like she was being swaddled in the softest fur or down and held in the arms of someone she loved. It was an immensely pleasant feeling that would have made her smile if she were able to move her lips at all.

Every breath felt heavy and burdened, like her lungs were getting tired of breathing, as if the muscles in her chest were weary from the unimaginable bliss that permeated through every fiber of her being even as she slept, seeping into her muscles and washing them with pleasure until they all were on the verge of giving out, even her heart felt like each beat was tired and fatigued. She felt like if she let herself relax too much, her body would just melt away, everything holding it together would just fail leaving her with nothing but that soft, fuzzy feeling. The effects weren't even gone from the Venom but she couldn't help but want more, to feel that happiness again… to feel like everything was right and that she achieved real, true happiness of the highest order.

 _Maybe… this… was a… mistake… after all._ As her first coherent thoughts were dredged up from the pleasure lulled depths of her mind, she felt the rest of her body begin to shift into alertness, slowly but steadily. At first, she tried to just wiggle her toes, but every contraction of her muscles sent waves of blurred sensation up her body and even that felt slowed as though her nerves had been fried by the pure ecstasy she felt the night before, which to her knowledge, wasn't far off from what Venom did.

Ruby wanted so badly to let the lull take her, to let that fuzzy feeling take her back into the sweet embrace of sleep. Her throat was beyond parched, she knew she was hungry and dehydrated, she knew that she needed to get up and be alive… but the Venom told her to stay down, to rest off the effects as the gradually eased until the withdrawal hit and she wouldn't just want or crave her next fix… she would physically, mentally and emotionally need it. It was truly a devastating drug, even then, every moment her mind wandered she found herself thinking about getting that feeling back, getting that high, the pleasure, the bliss, the feeling of everything being right in the world. It felt as safe as being in the arms of someone she loved, more intense than the most pleasurable sex, more rewarding than her greatest victory and deeper than anything she had ever felt. Everything else, every other little pleasure imaginable from love to achievement paled in comparison, being relegated to meaninglessness in the face of such elation.

Even so… even through all that pleasure, even with the haze of drugs clouding her mind, one hint of sadness stayed with her into the twilight of consciousness just before she passed out. The memory of a beautiful girl walking away from her bedroom in tears. Not even Venom could completely burn away the sorrow she felt and now, with the high gone and only the cooldown remaining, for every time her mind turned towards the Venom, that image of the tiny redhead with her braid down sitting on top of her, those big purple eyes looking down at her with worry and love, that image would stay with her forever as truly one of the most bittersweet moments of her life.

 _Thistle…_ Finally, a sensation that bright her to life, a fire in her chest, a compulsion to act. Her muscles were barely respondent but it didn't matter. Taking a long, deep breath she commanded them to move, forcing her body to shake, quivering in protest as she those images from the other night flashed through her mind faster and faster and no matter how much they hurt, Ruby fixated on them, because without Thistle, without those memories, without remembering the softness of her skin and the heartbreak in her eyes, the Venom would seep back to the forefront of her mind.

"Oh no you don't." Ruby had barely made it an inch off the bed before collapsing as a familiar voice spoke up, followed by the sound of approaching footsteps.

"You... came to check on me… you didn't need to... Roman." She could barely get the words out of her painfully dry throat before breakout out into a convulsive and agonizing cough.

"It's not every day the smartest person in the world does something so monumentally stupid." In the same instant that she saw his face staring down at her with worry and disappointment, she felt a strong hand reach under her back, tenderly lifting her upper body while she coughed and shivered. "Here, you need to drink."

"I… I can't move… my arms." Her lips were cracked and her eyes were dull, she barely had the strength to look towards the glass in Roman's other hand. Still, now the images of Thistle's back disappearing out the door were joined by the fresh memory of the disappointment in Roman's warm green eyes.

"No one's asking you to kid. You can't drink while you're talking." Even Torchwick's voice sounded so despondent and sorrowful Ruby's first instinct was to throw her arms around him and hug him, to apologize and try to make it better, if not with Thistle, than at least with Roman. _But that's right… I can't move._

With a defeated sigh she weakly shook her head, Roman's hand snaked up her back, until it was behind her head, his forearm keeping her upright and steady while his palm cushioned her head as he leaned it back just slightly while bringing the glass of cool water up to her lips. The instant that the refreshing, living sustaining liquid hit her lips she voraciously, frantically gulped it down, Roman struggling to keep up, tilting her head back further and further as she imbibed the tall glass so fast he considered stopping her. Still, she made it through the glass without choking, giving a long, refreshed sigh of relief, her throat quenched and her dehydration staved off and the cool water bringing down her body that she didn't even know felt hot until she drank.

"I'm sorry…" As she caught her breath from her drink, those were the first words to leave her cracked lips that she tenderly licked to moisten. "I'm sorry Roman. I didn't-"

"I really don't think I'm the one you need to be wasting an apology on." Placing the empty glass on her nightstand he gently and slowly eased her back down, bringing the pillow comfortably underneath her head before letting her go. A small, barely noticeable but genuine and fond smile graced his lips as he pulled the comforter over her. Ruby looked like a sick and guilty child, her long flowing hair sweat soaked and splayed out from beneath her and those stunning silver eyes looked to him with despair and hope, like she was wishing that there was something he could do to fix everything. _I wish I could kid… I really do._

"Where's Yang? What time is it?" Ruby body was shaking as she fought to get it under her control, even though the water made her feel a little less on the verge of passing back out, her muscles were still taken by that fuzzy feeling, a comfortable white noise that drowned out her commands to her muscles. All she could do was look helplessly at Roman, her breathing heavy and her eyes pleading.

"Your sister is in the kitchen, Neo already got her out of bed and she's making breakfast now. She's worried about you and pretty pissed off that you'd do this to yourself, they both are." Roman was more worried than angry, he knew Ruby well enough to know that getting angry at her wouldn't help. _She's self destructing, Blake leaving is really messing her up, even when Pyrrha left she wasn't this bad… and now Thistle, that might be what really breaks her. Don't you think you deserve love happiness? Maybe you're just too good natured to think so after everything you've done. No matter what, you're always just that broken little girl that wants to protect the people she loves… if Blake and Thistle could see that, maybe you wouldn't have been able to push them away._

"So… Yang knows." That was the last thing she wanted. She wasn't even sure how she was planning on hiding this from her, but worrying her sister was something she never wanted to do. "Who told her?"

"Thistle, apparently. Just before she called us saying you would need us when you woke up." Roman shook his head slightly and with a forlorn look in his eyes he sat down on the bed beside Ruby, looking down at her with pity and regret. "It's almost noon… you've been asleep for a while."

"And Thistle? W-where is she now?" The heartbreak in her voice weighed down every syllable and darkened her big silver eyes. Her lip quivered for only a few moments before her body went limp with an exhausted and frustrated exhale, her muscles failing her once again from the cooldown of the Venom.

"I wish I knew, she should be here but she called us and told us that you shouldn't be alone. When we got here she just left. She didn't say where she was going but…" This emotional crap wasn't his forte, he had no idea what he was doing and he had no way to help Ruby or Thistle. He hated feeling useless, but the fact of the matter was, there was nothing he could do for and he knew it.

"I see…" The most pitiful, broken and bittersweet smile pulled at her lips. Her pale face and still body, the way her eyes stared up at nothing but some unshared memory, it all made her look like the most sorrowful doll ever created.

"She was crying when she left." He couldn't even bear to look at her as he spoke, he couldn't handle seeing the crushing pain and guilt that made her eyes glisten and broken her heart so painfully and with such finality. "She looked like she had been crying all night. I don't I've ever seen the little firecracker look like that. What did you say to her last night while you were strung out?"

"Nothing." Her deathly cold voice chilled the room like liquid nitrogen, freezing Roman to the bone as he looked down to the girl, never expecting to feel such a bitter, icy sting from her lips. Her expression was hardened against the pain that was ripping her heart to shreds, the deep, permeating heartache sobering her nerves, freezing away the pleasant fuzziness from the drugs. In her mind, she felt as though she were being torn in two, her brain desperately reaching out both for Thistle, the small, beautiful girl with her back turned to Ruby as she left the door, the words Ruby needed to speak most stuck in her throat and on the other side, she felt the allure and pull of the Venom, the sweet embrace of bliss that could take away all her pain and make her taste the greatest possible happiness imaginable. _She's better off without me…_

"Ruby, you can't keep doing this to yourself. I remember what you were like before you got Thistle, she changed you for the better. You smiled more, you laughed… you were happy. If you're pushing her away-"

 **Knock-knock…**

A light and almost timid knock on the open door took their attention, cutting Roman off as he turned towards the sound, Ruby struggling to just let turn her head, getting halfway before just letting gravity do the rest of the work. A small part of her, a small, irrational part, hoped that when she looked, she would see that beautiful, tiny girl glaring disapprovingly but lovingly at her with Blake by her side, looking worried and compassionate from the doorway. Reality however, was colder than her drug induced fantasy and instead she saw Neo looking unnerved and uncomfortable, glancing at Roman with a furrowed brow before seemingly being pushed aside… as Cinder entered Ruby's bedroom.

"What a pitiful state. How the mighty have fallen." Those hard amber eyes gazed into her with intense displeasure and disappointment as she came up to Ruby's bedside, Roman stepping back to make way for her as she brushed strands of long black hair from her face.

"Cinder… how did you-"

"How did I know that you had a death wish? Or how did I know you made the biggest mistake of your life? Either would be accurate. Venom? Really? I knew you were losing it but I had no idea who would be so eager to throw away everything you've worked for." As always, Cinder was fire; uncompromising, passionate and powerful. Ruby was always fond of those qualities, she admired them, she admired Cinder… _But being on the receiving end of that heat isn't great._

"The cartel wouldn't buy from me directly until their suspicions that I was working with the cops was erased." It was a weak excuse that may have worked with Thistle and Roman, or at least they'd tolerate the excuse, but she knew Cinder wouldn't spare her feelings.

"And why did they need to buy from you directly if you were already supplying them? Why couldn't you do something else to prove you weren't with the police? You could have come up with a dozen different solutions in less time than I could and yet you chose to inject yourself with Venom. Now look at you." Cinder wasn't shy about the anger or spite in her voice and she never gave Ruby a reprieve from her hard, burning gaze as she locked eyes with her lover, leaning over her bed.

"I think it's a little late for what ifs." A soft and weak laugh left Ruby's throat as she smiled softly up at Cinder who merely narrowed her eyes in annoyance at her dismissiveness.

"What about what's next?" Cinder wasn't shy in the slightest as she crawled onto Ruby's bed, sitting on top of her just as Thistle had done the night before, Cinder's hands pressed into the bed just above Ruby's shoulders as she looked down at her with passion and fury. "Pyrrha is gone, Blake left you and now you've pushed Thistle away. What's next? Roman? Neo? Me? What about Yang? You have all the money you could ever need. If you really wanted to you could spend the rest of your short life in the Devil's Lair alone, high on the sweet, deluding embrace of Venom. Everything you've worked for, everything you've suffered for will slip from your grasp. The empire you've built, the progress you've made… just throw it all away for another day in drug induced bliss."

"That's not-"

"That's not what you want!? Is that what you were about to tell me!?" Cinder bared her teeth, Ruby had never seen the such unbridled, hot rage in her lover and associate before. Cinder was normally so composed and in control but now, just like with Thistle, she was opening up her heart, albeit in a different way. "Do you know how many people have died because of you? Do you know how many lives you've saved? Do you know that the people around you actually care? Do you have any idea what this does to us?! You had your heart broken, get over it and get up! I can't stand seeing you looking so pathetic, you don't deserve me, let alone anyone else if you let everything you've done be for nothing!"

"Cinder…" Her words and the rage propelling them ripped through Ruby's cooldown haze, sobering her mind as they burned into her heart. _But… I've already lost them. Blake and Thistle, they're both gone… so what-_

"Yang will never walk again." At that mere utterance, Ruby's eyes grew wide and glistened as tears pooled in them. That was all it took, like an arrow to her heart, shattering the ice and iron that protected it. "You've failed her. All of this, all of the false hope you gave her… and you failed. Maybe you'd be better off dying in a Venom induced stupor so you'll stop hurting the people who put their love and trust in you."

"Cinder that's enough!" Yang's roaring voice echoed from the doorway, the crippled blonde sitting in wheelchair, her eyes burned crimson and her aura glowing yellow as she glared at Cinder with anguished tears. "Ruby don't listen to-"

"No…" With a trembling inhale and a defiant word, Cinder felt Ruby's body shaking, fighting for every millimeter as she clenched her jaw, battling the Venom in her nerves. Cinder could only give a satisfied smile as she moved back, giving Ruby space to get up on her own. She could see the fire, the anger, the conviction and purpose in those special silver eyes and with every inch Ruby won, her body shook more and more, her muscles screaming at her to lay down, the give in… but Cinder knew Ruby wasn't the type to give in.

"I- I haven't… failed yet." She was panting for breath, every single contraction of her muscles, every single slight movement of her joints sent waves of fuzziness through her body that felt like it would throw her back to the bed. Her heart was pounding and her breaths were heavy, she wanted to fall, she wanted to sleep, she wanted more Venom… but she forced her head to turn, looking to her sister and through everything, through the drugs and the turmoil in her heart, she gave Yang a warm and reassuring grin.

"That's what I thought." With a satisfied smirk Cinder moved aside, taking up Ruby's side just on the edge of the bed, putting her arm behind Ruby's back and bracing it under her armpit as the doctor struggled to support her own weight with her arms propped up on the bed behind her. "Come on, you need to eat. We have a drug cartel to destroy."

"Take me… to the pharmacy first… I'm going to need some drugs to... get through the day." She was panting and struggling to maintain muscle tensity as Cinder eased her legs off the side of the bed.

"Just tell me what you need." The heat of anger was gone from Cinder's voice, leaving a gentle and compassionate warmth behind, even if it was subdued.

"Thank you… for getting me up." It wasn't what she wanted to say, and it wasn't what she was feeling, but she didn't have the strength to keep her heart open and her body in her control. She wanted to thank Cinder for pulling her from the darkness… but she also wanted to cry, to vent, to tell her how she felt about the night before, with Thistle. _I won't give up on Yang… but do I really deserve anyone after this? Why are those words so hard for me to say? If- if I just could have told her that I loved her, not on Venom, not after breaking her heart, but when I felt it, when I felt warm and safe with her by my side, when I couldn't imagine my life without her… I should have told Thistle, I should have told Blake. I- I want another chance…_

"Yang… I love you and I'm going to let you walk again someday. I promise." She wasn't even sure when the last time she told Yang that she loved her, her own sister, her family. It wasn't much… _But maybe it's a start. If I get another chance… maybe then I'll be able to tell Thistle that I love her, not just tell her, but show her._

"You're my little sister, I'm supposed to be protecting you. I'm sorry Ruby." Her lip quivered and her heart ached for her sister that she watched walk with Cinder's support out the door and into the hallway, pale and glistening with sweat, barely able to move from the drugs she had taken. _All of this is my fault. Maybe if I didn't shut Ruby out when we were little, she wouldn't be where she is today._


	15. Falling: Part 1

"You doing okay back there Red?" Roman adjusted his mirror while he drove, bringing Dr. Rose and Cinder just into view. _She was barely able to move this morning, the burnout from Venom sure is something. Maybe if I had gone with her when she did the exchange with Oliver, I could have stopped this._

"I'm… I'm not okay." Ruby's voice was weak and beyond exhausted. The mighty, unstoppable behemoth looked like a sick, scared little girl. Her skin was so pale and glistening with sweat, every breath was labored and eyes looked so lifeless.

"What a brave thing to say. Of course, if you had been honest sooner, you might not have lost the kitten or your beloved bodyguard. Well, hindsight is always twenty-twenty isn't it?" For once, Cinder took no pleasure in being right. She was frustrated, she hated how pitiful her lover was.

"Cinder, I-"

"And one more thing!" Cinder cut Ruby off mid word, her cheeks tinted pink as she glared at the doctor. "Was it really necessary for me to dress up like this!?"

The terrifyingly dangerous mistress of evil and destruction was dressed in a white and pink nurse's uniform just a little bit too small for her. Cinder's top showing off just the lowest part of her perfectly flat belly and squeezing her chest just enough for the fabric to give detail of what was underneath them.

"I don't know what you're talking about, you look cute, heh-heh…" Ruby found it hard to laugh through her parched throat. Even smiling took more effort than she even thought possible. Still, even through her dazed, flushed, exhausted state, she still glanced up at the mirror, and then beside, just to catch a glimpse of Cinder and Roman's fleeting smiles.

"Ugh, I don't have anything against your fetishes, Ruby, but going out in public like this is humiliating, if any of my other associates saw, I'd never live it down." With a heavy sigh and a cringe at the thought, she turned her attention to their driver. "And Roman! I swear on everything unholy that if you take any pictures of me like this I will burn everything you love!"

"... that uh… never even crossed my mind." Torchwick coughed, readjusting the mirror and putting his eyes back on the road. "We're almost there."

"Good, I'm ready to get this over with so I can change out of this ridiculous thing." She huffed, turning towards Ruby one again, hoping to see excitement in her eyes for their rapidly approaching operation. Instead, she found the doctor staring down vacantly at the numerous pills in her trembling hand.

 _Muscle relaxers for the tremors, antipyretic for the fever, caffeine, methadone, ginger for the nausea… and a mint, to cover up the taste of vomit from this morning. All this will do is buy me time, a few days at most before they become less effective and the worst of the withdrawal hits. I don't have much time, so I have to work fast_. Fighting through the tremors, it took Ruby nearly a minute to get all the pills into her mouth, reaching for the water spiked with an electrolyte solution was a whole other challenge.

"Roman," Ruby coughed his name after swallowing her fistful of pills. "I need you to stay in the car until you get our call."

"Given your recent string of brilliant decisions, I'm inclined to say… no." He drove a little more slowly, hoping he could change her mind. _She's just a kid, it's easy to forget that. Aside from Yang, Neo and I are the closest thing she has to family. Even if I'm no good at it, I need to start acting like it._

"He's not wrong, for once." Cinder folded her arms over her chest and crossed her legs.

"Would have been easier to say I was right." The smugness in his voice was palpable.

"I'd rather not vomit thank you." Cinder huffed, kicking the back of Torchwick's seat.

"Hey, don't make me turn this van around." Just as he said that, his seat reclined onto Cinder.

"Don't make me turn you inside out!" Cinder roared, baring her teeth as she pushed back against his seat.

"Pfff… mmmp…" A stifle snort caught both of their attention, bringing their focus onto the giggling doctor in the back seat. "Bwahahaha! S- Sorry! You guys, I just… ahh, I really needed that."

"I'm so glad you're entertained." Cinder huffed, forcing Roman's seat back up. "Don't think I've forgotten your idiotic plan."

"No… you're both right. I haven't been making good decisions lately and it's costing me one precious thing after another." The happiness on her face was gone, replaced with the most somber, pain filled smile they had ever seen.

"I- I'm punishing myself for it. I wasn't able to say the things I needed to say, I was afraid, I'm still afraid. I'm a monster, and a coward… and- and I know it's selfish but…" Ruby was on the brink of tears, but the emotional turmoil was met with the destructive interference of her nearly unbearable craving for the sweet release of Venom. _I want them back. I don't know if I could tell either of them how I feel, and I know I don't deserve them, angels don't belong with monsters… but I love them, and it's not home without them._

"Way to make me feel special." Cinder's halfhearted quip brought Ruby's eyes to her own. She didn't look hurt, instead, she looked amused. "No wonder they left you, you've got no clue how to treat a woman."

"As touching as this is, I'm still not letting you go in alone. The kid you poisoned said that there'd be over a dozen armed guys. If things go south, I might not get there in time. You're not a fighter Doc, you're clever, but clever won't stop a bullet." The van came to a slow stop on a nondescript street in the slums.

"He's right, better he gets shot than you." Ruby's 'nurse' grinned deviously at Torchwick. He could only imagine she was fantasizing about pushing him in front of an oncoming bullet.

"Be nice, he's our ride home." Ruby shook her head at her friends, immediately regretting it as the motion brought forward a splitting headache. _Today's an important day… I need to keep it together._

"Cinder and I are going in together. She can back me up, you have an important job to do and none of this will work without you. I need you to keep your head down and wait for my call." She had a clarity in her eyes and an intensity in her voice that he had feared she lost to the drugs.

"Hmm… fine, but be careful in there, it'll be a pain in the ass having to explain to your sister that you got killed by some low life dealers." He wasn't sure he was making the right decision… B _ut you're supposed to trust family, or some bullshit._

"Thank you… I promise I'll be safe." Giving him a weak, reassuring smile, Ruby unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car, with Cinder following her lead.

"You better be, kid…" Torchwick mumbled under his breath, catching the last glimpse of Ruby before the door began to shut behind her. _I have a bad feeling._

 **Thunk!**

"You ready?" She looked to Cinder as the echo of the door slamming closed faded out. Her impromptu nurse looking less than thrilled to be seen in her uniform in public.

"Let's just get this over with." Given that unenthusiastic response, she still put on a pleasant face to offset her otherwise standoffish persona. "Next time you ask me to come along on these little jobs, remind me to leave before you can rope me into it."

"What fun would that be?" Ruby feigned a grin but her will power was decimated and divided between fighting her cravings for the euphoric embrace of Venom and the job at hand. "Try to look like my eager, compassionate nurse for five minutes, then you can change… if you really have to… and be your sadistic self we know love again."

"Fine, I'll play dress up and pretend for you but I hope you'll be ready to repay me for putting up with this situation." Taking in a deep breath, Cinder summoned her inner actress while silently cursing soft spot for the doctor.

"Oh don't worry," She winked as she walked up to a rusty, reinforced metal door. "I'll make it worth your time."

 **Knock-knock**

The heavy door rang like a low pitched bell for a few moments before the vibrations died and everything feel into an uneasy pause. The two women stood in waiting, Cinder impatiently tapping her shoe against the cracked and dirty concrete. Finally, a metallic screech came from the other side, and a slat opened up to a pair of tired eyes looking at the very strangely dressed women.

"Dr. Rose, I'm here to make a house call." She put on a warm, nonthreatening smile, but her exhaustion made it feel hollow and feigned.

"You the doc?" He sounded dubious at best.

"I'm sure Oliver vouched for me. I hear your boss is very, very ill, I've put a lot of capital in this business, I'd like to protect my investment." Despite the low of the first stages of Venom withdrawal, she felt the familiar glimmer of thrill she got from manipulating and destroying people that stood in her way.

"Dude, let her in!" That, Ruby could tell, was the familiar but panicked voice of Alan.

"What about her? The bitch dressed like a hoe? She yours?" He eyed Cinder suspiciously, they could hear a gun cocking just behind the door.

"Hmmm, Ruby…" Cinder's soft, pleased tone held a the smallest note of unbridled rage and sinister glee.

"She's my nurse, an invaluable member of my staff and I'll ask you to treat her with respect, or I'll let your boss die. Either the police find his body and you go to jail, or your higher ups skin you alive for being a liability." Despite Ruby's smug grin, her heart was pounding. _Hold it together Cinder! Damn it, if I can do this while going through withdrawal you can keep it together for just ten minutes!_

"... fine, just get him better and get out of here!" With that, the slat slammed shut and several deadbolts clunked back until the door creaked open. The smell of harsh chemicals, sweat, body odor and urine hit the them instantly.

Stepping inside the drug den was like stepping into another world; miserable, harsh, hot and hopeless. There were people strung out on the stained, carpeted floor, some foaming at the mouth passed out pools of piss and vomit. Ugly fluorescent lights flickered nauseatingly overhead, glistening off the sweaty skin of men and women worked nearly naked as they made and packaged the product.

"Quit staring, this ain't your business. Boss is in the back, get to it." The gruff, scrawny man growled as he slammed the door shut and locked it up, peeking out the slat before closing that too.

"Yo, is whatever Bossman got like… catchable?" One guy sitting on a tattered couch in a dirty old hoodie looked up to Ruby. "He ain't doin' good doc, should we like… wear masks or some shit?"

"I won't know until I evaluate him, but it might be best for you all to stay out here." Giving a reassuring smile, Ruby jerked her head towards the back of the Venom den where the boss was, signaling Cinder to follow.

The place wasn't particularly big but the space was efficiently used. Cheap tables were lined up in rows creating an assembly line of narcotic manufacturing. As they made their way to the back, they had to step over the limp bodies of people enjoying the blissful high of Venom.

Then… Ruby felt it, like a wave of pure force washing over her consciousness, her eyes moved on their own to the spent needle hanging out of a passed out woman's vein. The memories of that bliss came rushing back to her and her heart began to pound. _No… no… I can get through this. I'm strong, I'm strong! I- I don't need Venom._

Clenching her jaw, it took almost everything she had to pull her eyes away and keep walking forward. She felt like a fever was beginning to sweep over her and her muscles ached more painfully than before. Her masterful plans were all but drowned out from the violent struggle for control in her mind.

They were ushered into a back room through a door protected by two armed and unfriendly looking guards. Once inside, the door was shut behind them, leaving them in a small, dimly lit room. The only things around them were a filing cabinet, a cache of weapons, another armed guard and a large, heavy set faunus man laying in great discomfort on a couch.

"Dr Rose," the guard spoke, his tone far more respectful, though in a thick accent, than the man who first greeted them. "You came highly recommended, please, tend to Diente, he is quite ill."

"I'll do what I can." Her tone held a weak but definite compassion as she took the stethoscope from around her neck. Diente was a lion faunus with a distinguishing mane around his neck, his bulk couldn't hide the fact that while he was well muscled, he had recently lost substantial weight. "Cinder, set up the pressure cuff while I do the exam."

"Of course, Doctor." In a herculean display of self control, Cinder kept every bit of contempt for her situation out of her voice before carrying out Ruby's orders.

Meanwhile, Ruby pressed the diaphragm of the stethoscope to his chest, listening to his heart through his labored breathing. _Fast heart-rate, one-sixty bpm. Definitely has a fever. The poison is working._

"Mr. Leon, I need you to answer a couple of questions." Gently shaking the profusely sweating man into alertness as she inflated the pressure cuff, Ruby went about her treatment of the patient like she would if she hadn't planned his illness. _One-forty over ninety._

"What hurts? How are you feeling?" Diente began to stir back to consciousness, slowly and painfully. "Cinder, he has an intense fever, we need to get it down so he can be coherent. Get me an antipyretic, stat!"

"Right away." With nod, Cinder reached into Ruby's little black bag and handed over a syringe.

"Uuhg… w- water…" Diente moaned weakly, in a daze from the fever.

"You, guard guy, get him a cup of water, I brought an electrolyte powder, it's the next best thing to a saline drip." Ripping the cuff off Ruby felt around his glands under his jaw. "Now!"

"Yes! Of course doctor!" In a panic, he ran out the door, eager to help his boss.

"Cinder… we don't have much time." Even as she took the needle from her partner, her hands were already trembling out of control. The withdrawal was moving into its second stage. "M-Mr. Leon, I'm a doctor, I'm here to help, just relax."

He mumbled something incoherent while Ruby held his arm as steady as she could, searching for a good vein. She could feel sweat accumulating on her back and forehead and everything felt simultaneously freezing cold and unbearably hot. Taking weak, shallow breaths, Ruby bit down hard, using every last bit of willpower to keep her hand steady as plunged the needle into his vein, pouring out the clear chemical into the man's bloodstream.

"We only have a few minutes… I'm going to… take care of the front of the house. You stay here and- and get that mask on. Text Roman… tell h-him to get ready." Everything felt surreal, just she was being painfully ripped from her own body while it suffered helplessly. Reality felt distorted, like her perception was skewed towards pain and malaise. _Damn it… I just- I need to hold it together, just a little longer._

"Okay, I'll take care of my part." Though she didn't say it, she knew Ruby was deteriorating fast. Still, Cinder knew the best way to help was to get this over with. _And get her back home where she'll be safe._

The doctor staggered back to her feet, gasping for breath as her muscles shook violently. Through the pain of withdrawal, Ruby forced herself to walk to the door, and put on a show.

"Everyone!" Ruby's shout echoed through the drug den, grabbing the attention of rooms full of dealers. Ruby used her declining state to her advantage, exaggerating the panic she was trying to portray while she brought her mask over her face.

"I just spoke with Mr. Leon and after my examination, I've concluded that he very likely has deadly and highly contagious strain of bacterial meningitis." That got everyone listening intently. "Everyone who… who has a sore neck,fever, headache or increased heart rate, you need to come to the back room immediately for treatment and quarantine. Everyone else, you need to leave and go to the nearest hospital, they'll test you and provide pre symptomatic care."

"M-my neck hurts!" The nervous boy from earlier stood up looking like he was on the verge of a panic attack.

"Shit, man, I've had a headache all day!"

"Imma throw up, is this for real?"

One by one, almost half the den began displaying symptoms as the panic swept over them. It wasn't long until there was a stampede for the door, overwhelming the few who tried to stop them. A short lived brawl exploded before the exit was pouring out low level dealers and people in their underwear.

"Aaaaaaah! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Feral and horrific screams exploded from behind her as the Hellfire Ruby injected Diente with began to take effect.

The terror increased tenfold and people were pummeling each other to get out the door. Unconscious, bloody bodies dropped and within less than a minute, two dozen grunts of the Venom cartel ran through the streets believing they were infected with a deadly disease.

In the end, only two remained; Alan… and the guard from Diente's room, still holding the cup of water, his eyes fixed not on the carnage, but towards the man screaming in agony, just behind Ruby and a closed door.

"Diente!" The cup shattered on the ground, sharp fragments washed across the floor, but he didn't care. He ran without hesitation, rushing past Ruby and swinging the door open. In less than a moment… he was right at Diente's side, holding his hand.

"Help! Please you must help him! Something is wrong, please! He is suffering!" The guard voice was choked through heartbroken sobs and tears rolled down his face as he threw his arms around the flailing, hallucinating man. Behind him, Ruby stood, pulled from her withdrawal induced dissociation by what she recognized before her.

"Cinder… please… make it stop. This is enough." Shimmering silver eyes stared coldly at the scene before her. In her outstretched hand, she felt a cold syringe gently fall into her palm.

Without another word, Ruby walked so quietly and calmly in stark contrast to the kicking and screaming and cry, that she seemed to not be a part of reality in that room. Effortlessly, she injected him in his neck… and his flailing and crying subsided, until there was nothing left but silence, and stillness.

"Diente… Diente… awaken… come… we- we have to go home. The police will come… we can't stay here. I can take care of you… I will- I will make you your favorite tea, I will even watch the show that I hate with you…" He shook the limp, lifeless body, with the most heart broken smile on his face, his hand clasped around his lover's while drops fell from his eyes and onto the still, dead face just below.

"Do not… leave me like this… please… there are so many things that I want to share with you… you can not just- you can not just leave me like this…" He collapsed onto his beloved's body, violently sobbing as he held on as hard as he could.

All the while… Ruby watched. She couldn't even tell, that her own cheeks were wet.

"I'm sorry… I truly am." A small sound reached her ear as the plastic cap of her scalpel fell to the floor. _Blake… Thistle… I- I miss you both so much, with all my heart._

Blood sprayed out in a crimson fountain from the guard's neck, his artery cut down its length. It only took a couple minutes, but even as the last of his blood trickled out… he never let go.

 _But I don't deserve either of you._

"Ruby… we have to wrap this up." Cinder's tone held a not of true, pure compassion as her warm hand touched Ruby's shoulder.

"Inject all the addicts here with the tainted Venom. Trash the place steal, all the money, gear, drugs and files, help Roman set it up to look like an inside job. Turn it upside down." The doctor's voice was as cold as pure liquid helium, the frost leaching into her heart and bones as she walked towards the entrance.

"Hey! I- I did what you told me to, give me the antidote! Please, I don't want to-" Before Alan could get another word out… Ruby severed his femoral artery… and then cut his throat in a violent flash of red and steel.

Alan dropped to the ground, futilely trying to hold his blood with his hands, convulsing on the floor at her feet. She felt numb, the spike of rage she unleashed on him now completely gone, leaving a pure vacuum in its wake.

Until she saw something roll out from his hoodie pocket… a syringe of Venom, clean, untainted by her poison.

Her beat as though it had been brought back to life by the mere sight of the drug. She didn't slow down, she didn't think to question it. There was no quarrel in her mind or heart as she picked up the vile, horrible drug… and slipped it into her lab coat pocket.

 _All I deserve is this._


	16. The Stray: Part 1

_Run._

A frantic, terrified whisper filled the darkness.

 _Run_.

Louder, it bid her to flee, she didn't know from what.

 _Run!_

The whisper broke into a desperate, horror filled cry!

Small steps bolted through the seemingly endless void, splashing in the shallow pool the stretched as far as the darkness before her. An acrid, all too familiar scent rose up with each rise and fall of her paws, metallic and harsh… "blood."

The sanguine stench burned her nose, but there was no escape as the slick vital fluid clung to her night black fur. She could feel it weighing her small, fragile body down as it saturated into each hair on her legs and belly. Still, she kept running, even though every dash washed her in more and more blood.

Her eyes darted back and forth, desperate to catch even a glimpse of light in the shadows that engulfed everything around her. Even as her muscles burned, adrenaline surging through her veins kept her running faster and faster, every available sense looking fervently for escape.

 **Splash!**

It barely registered at first, the pounding of her heart, the blood rushing through her ears, her labored, rapid breaths, all of it made her unaware until it was too late.

 **Splash-Splash-Splash!**

 _You have to run!_

The bittersweet, familiar voice screamed to her as her blood turned to ice! Something was behind her, and it was getting closer.

Her chest burned, each rapid and panicked breath seared her aching lungs and parched throat, even so, she couldn't so down. She could feel the ground trembling beneath her as the monster closed in, its powerful steps sending vibrations through her tiny body.

 _This way!_ The voice suddenly felt so close, her eyes caught a glimpse of a dull red flame, the only break in the ever spanning shadows. Her blood soaked body felt invigorated, lighter, the fire in her muscles was scorched away and she could feel herself pulling ahead of the beast behind her.

Warmth… all the pain, exhaustion and mortal terror was soothed by a gentle, enveloping warmth. The void was filled with the glow of smoldering embers all around. The stale, acrid sea of blood felt different, alive, it pulsed with a vital force, compelling further into this strange world.

"This feels familiar." Without even realizing it, she had stopped running, and instead was walking calmly with the pulsing blood. Part of her wanted to stop, to curl up and sleep, safe in the warm crimson bath, but something kept her paws moving. "This feels like…"

"Home." It was that voice, this time so close and clear that it stopped her dead in her tracks. She could see the blood in front of her begin to ripple and writhe, distorting the light it reflected from the glowing brimstone and flames. She could feel the small waves lapping against her fur, each tender peak and dipping trough washed over with a feeling of life… a heartbeat.

The pool of blood before her roiled, spasming as it took shape from a sticky liquid, climbing and grasping onto itself while it gained a form. It would have been horrific… but she just watched, with no fear or apprehension, only hope.

From the animate clot and oozing blood, a definite body formed, taking on bone and flesh until a furry pelt grew over the toned muscle… and a great, red and black wolf stood towering over her.

The beast, the great wolf, stared down at the tiny, little lost black cat with eyes that made the most polished silver look dull in comparison. The great wolf with crimson tipped fur on her ears and tail opened its maw, blood stained teeth glistened sickeningly in the low light. She could smell death with every hot exhale from the beast, the apex predator to which all who met her fangs fell.

"Blake…" Her voice was so tender, carrying a note of pain as her shimmering eyes looked fondly at the stray cat. Blake was frozen, captivated by her eyes even as the mouth that could swallow the world craned down towards her, all she did was stare into those captivating eyes… until a cool, wet nose touched hers.

"I miss you so much." In an instant, Blake found herself held lovingly in Ruby's arms, a familiar, warm embrace as the two young women sat in the shallow sea of blood. "I- I'm glad you're safe."

For a moment, for a long moment, Blake just sat there, feeling the pressure of Ruby's hug while she just sat limp and exhausted, her head against Ruby's warm, comfortable chest. Her heavy eyes fluttered closed and her entire body relaxed, leaning against Ruby for support while she took in the warmth and love that she had so desperately missed.

"Blake… come home. Come back to us. I- I need you. Your bed is just the way you left it, Thistle made sure it's been ready for you to come back. It's cold out there, you don't need to be cold. I don't want you to be cold." Ruby was trembling, and Blake could feel hot tears dripping down onto her face. She didn't want to move, she even kept her breathing soft.

 _This is just a dream… but I don't want to wake up._ It felt so real, Ruby's soft, perfect skin felt just as she remembered, and her embrace… _She's so warm. She smells just like I remember. I- want… I want to-_

"Blake, come home." Suddenly, the soft, loving voice was gone. Ruby sounded cold… dangerous. A deadly chill crawled beneath her skin as Blake looked up into her eyes.

Reflected in those shining mirrors, Blake could see flashes of chaos and suffering, a bloodbath and an endless field of corpses.

"You belong with me." Ruby's hand tenderly fondled Blake's cheek. "You want this, you don't care about all the suffering, you don't care about them, you're selfish, you're weak. You need someone to protect you, you want it. You stayed by his side, through all the bloodshed he wrought, because you care more about yourself than anyone else."

"S-stop! That's not true! I left! I left him. I left you! I-"

"You ran away. The carnage hasn't ceased, the bodies haven't stopped piling up. You let the massacre continue, but as long as you weren't looking, you could tell yourself that it's not your problem. You're a coward."

"No… no. Ruby- Ruby wouldn't say that! She's not like him! You're not like Adam!"

"You just can't face it can you?" As Ruby's hand pulled away, streaks of hot blood stained Blake's cheek, only washed away by the tears pouring from her amber eyes. "You can only love monsters, because deep down…"

"Stop… please… no more, no more."

"You're just like us."

"That's not true!"

"Oh, darling, you always were so good at running away, even from the truth." Blake's blood ran cold as ice as devastatingly familiar voice whispered in her ear.

"Adam…" Her head slowly turned turned to the side… bringing her face to face with a giant bull whose horns dripped with blood. "No! Stay away from-"

A burning pain seared through her abdomen as Adam's horn penetrated her, ripping through flesh and bone alike. Her head slowly turned back towards Ruby…only to find a wolf's maw snapping shut at her face!

* * *

"Aah!" Blake's eyes shot open, her body was drenched in sweat and her ears were pinned back against her head. _Just… a dream._

Her white tank-top clung to her skin and her blanket had mostly fallen off her tiny, uncomfortable bed and onto the floor, only still tangled up on her feet. Strands of oily, poorly cared for black hair stuck to her damp forehead and shoulders, and cool trails along her cheeks told her that she had been crying in her sleep… _again._

Slowly she let her tension ease up, letter her cat ears stand up straight atop her her head. Light streamed into the tiny room from a dusty, cracked window, she could hear cars rushing around outside but there was a sad lack of chirping birds that made the whole place seem somehow even more bleak.

"Glad you decided to get up, I was about to come over there and wake you myself." A female's voice spoke, pulling Blake's attention back.

"Lilah… what time is it?" Taking a deep breath, Blake forced herself to roll over. A beautiful girl, a faunus with a golden hair and a lion's mane sat across from her on an identically small and cheap bed. Their shared room was all of about the size of one of Ruby's closets, big enough just for the two beds and one nightstand with two drawers for personal belongings.

"Time for you to get ready for work, I'm not taking any more heat from the boss because of you." With a huff, Lilah got up and walked to the door. "I heard you've got the Petting Zoo today, have fun with that."

"I'm tired… just tell me why you're being a bitch this time." With a sigh, Blake sat up, wiping her face with her hand. _I don't need this right now._

"I haven't gotten a good night's sleep since you became my roommate, you're always having nightmares or you go to bed depressed and I have to worry about trying to off yourself again. All this stress is bad for my fur, and you know I don't get my tips because of my stellar personality." Her golden brown eyes stared at Blake, mostly with frustration and annoyance, but Blake could feel the smallest glimmer of caring in them.

"I'm so sorry my PTSD is inconvenient to your fur." Blake rolled her eyes as she got up from her bed, unabashedly taking off her top in front of her roommate.

"Hey, just because you get by being gloomy and unattractive doesn't mean the rest of us can." Lilah ran her fingers through her curly, dirty blonde hair. "Mr. Burley is doing a photo-shoot today, modeling a new line of faunus ware, if I do well, I might just pay my way out of the shithole soon, and I don't need you ruining it for me."

"Burley is a shithole." Blake retorted, deadpanned as she clasped her bra on.

"True, but he got me out of Vacuo no questions asked. I knew what I was getting into, more or less." With a shrug, Lilah opened the door and crossed the threshold. "Your bus leaves soon and you stink, I doubt they're putting your boring ass on stage but you might want to shower if you want any tips."

"Thanks…" Despite the cold numbness in her voice, the smallest smirk lit up Blake's tired face. _Lilah may be a bitch, but somehow, she's kept me going these last few months._

"Whatever, I sleep next to you in this tiny ass room and I don't want your stink to rub off on me. Bye." With that pleasant sendoff, Lilah slammed the door behind her as she left.

"It's a good thing she's pretty because that attitude of hers definitely isn't attractive." The weakest huff of laughter escaped her lips as she grabbed her top from her drawer… before stopping with a dubiously raised eyebrow.

 **Sniff**

"Ehh." Blake's face scrunched up as she pulled her nose from her armpit. "Yep, definitely showering."

The building she'd been living in for the past several months was a 'refurbished' factory. It was owned by Mr. Burley, an infamous smuggler of everything from weapons to faunus. _He's a disgusting kind of human, profiting off of desperate faunus, but he's good at what he does. When I was with the White Fang, every time we got close to his network, they always slipped through out fingers. As long as I keep my name to myself, behave and keep a low profile… no one can find me here._

Making her way down the stairs to the women's bathroom with a towel slung over her shoulder, Blake couldn't help but think of the kinds of people that she shared a building with. _Criminals, refugees, runaways, addicts, homeless, orphans. I guess for some of them, this life is the best they can hope for. Sure they're exploited, objectified and treated with no respect… but there's food, heat, water and a roof. We get paid in tips, most of which we get to keep. I'm sure Burley still makes a huge profit from our cheap labor, but he also doesn't ask questions about who we are or what we do with our money._

Taking a left down the dilapidated hall, she came to a threshold without a door leading into a tiled room with rows of showers. A human woman stood guard just outside. Privacy was all but non existent here, but she and everyone else was mostly used to it. Three other faunus women showered unabashedly naked with no stalls or curtains to hide their bodies.

Blake walked in and hung her clothes and towel on a rail before turning the hot water on. It wasn't designed so much to be lecherous as it was to save money. The girls couldn't hide money or steal if they were being watched while they were naked, and more immediately obvious was that it was so cold without anything to keep the steam in that everyone rushed to get out of the showers. _But I wouldn't be surprised if they had hidden cameras recording us right now either._

 _This is definitely a far cry from Ruby's underworld. If Ruby saw me like this she might just kill Burley herself._ She let out a small, wry laugh. _As cathartic as that thought is, he has nothing to worry about. It's been a while, with Ruby's resources, if she wanted to find me, she would have by now._

"I guess… she's moved on." The sorrow and pain in her own whisper caught her off guard and flashes of her dream came rushing back, forcing a wave of nausea up her stomach. _It doesn't matter. I'm done with him, I- I'm done with her._

With a trembling breath, Blake turned off the water, letter the cold air envelop her body. _Missing her… makes me want to kill myself. Once I save up enough money, I'm leaving here, I'm leaving Vale, I'll go to nursing school in Atlas or Vacuo… I'll do good with my life. I have to do good._

"But for now, I have work to do."

Bass heavy music shook the entire room. Cigarette smoke was set aglow by the strobing and pulsating colored lights while beautiful young faunus women danced sensually on a stage for lonely men, both faunus and human alike.

Blake hated the smell, she hated the place on principle… _but most of all… I HATE this stupid outfit!_

Her jaw clenched as she walked around with a tray of drinks clad in a black, frilled lace skirt so thin you could see her white panties underneath. Her top was barely more than a bra with a kitty cut out showing off her albeit unimpressive cleavage. But worst of all… worst of all was her tail. _A tail! Faunus have one animal trait! I already have my ears, and here I am wearing this stupid fucking tail around my waist, having drunk idiots grabbing it throughout my shift._

 _I may have lost all pride and self respect but this is just degrading._ Her frustration burned away her embarrassment as she brought drinks to their designated tables or private booths where the high rollers paid a premium for 'special services' from any girl they wanted.

 _Thankfully, I've only had to work here twice since I've been working for Burley and aside from a few drunk idiots, I've mostly been left alone._ With a soft sigh, Blake retreated from her last table, heading back to the bar to get more drinks. _As long as I keep my head down, I'll make it through this without any-_

"Oh pussy cat." A man called out in a deep, singsong voice.

 _Trouble… fuck._ She recognized the voice instantly, and her stomach instantly felt like it was ready to turn itself inside out at the mere thought of him.

"Y-Yes Mr. Burley?" She tried to sound polite as she turned to face him, a slightly overweight man with a balding head and well maintained facial hair. He was decked out in jewelry and wearing a label none of her housemates could possibly afford.

"You're popular today, someone just dropped fat stacks to have you all to themselves. I said you'd be happy to keep them company, they rented the VIP room." His pupils might as well have turned into Lien symbols at the prospect.

"But Sir I-"

"Now now Pussy Cat, I'm a very tolerant man, I let you have your privacy, I even let you keep your name to yourself, I pay you, house you and even obliged your request to be extra discreet with you. Now, I have a customer who clearly thinks you're something special, don't insult her or me… unless you want me to throw you out on the street, loudly." He was short in stature but he didn't get to where he was without knowing how to earn respect… or fear, with just one step towards her, he forced Blake back just as much.

"W-wait… her?" Blake felt her mouth go dry and her chest tighten as her dream forced its way back into the forefront of her mind.

"Yes, I don't care if you don't swing that way. Do your job, or I won't protect you anymore." With that dark warning, he stomped away, leaving Blake scanning bustling room… until she stopped dead on a familiar face approaching her with a burning cigarette in her mouth.

"So, this is how you're living now? Can't say I saw this coming, but it's smart, this is the last place Ruby would think to look for you." Thistle shrugged her shoulders, taking a long drag off her cigarette while her soft purple eyes looked up and down at Blake's attire. "We need to talk."

What could she do? Thistle was the strongest fighter Blake knew short of maybe Adam. If Thistle was determined to talk, she'd destroy the entire building to get her way.

"Fine." Knowing that the small, cute walking high explosive was anything but subtle, Blake resigned herself to the girl's will and ushered her into the private room before quickly closing the door behind them.

"How did you find me?" Blake growled, baring her teeth at the smaller girl.

"Hmm, no, you're just not that intimidating with that cute tail and skirt." Giggling to herself, Thistle sat on the table. "And Ruby isn't the only one with friends. Gotta admit, you didn't make it easy on me."

"What do you want?" It was almost a rhetorical question, Blake knew there would be only one reason Thistle would come by herself.

"Ruby." Her playful tone and smug grin were snuffed out in an instant, Blake could see the hurt and desperation in Thistle's eyes as she brought her knees to her chest.

"What's hap- no, no. Thistle, I left for a reason. I can't enable her anymore, I can't keep facilitating monst-"

 **BOOOOM!**

A deafening concussive blast shredded the table apart, shooting splinters into the floor and wall as Thistle lunged forward, slamming her little body down on top of Blake, taking them both to the ground.

"Shut up shut up!" Blake was stunned silent as rage and turmoil overcame Thistle's face. The air around them popped and convulsed from her volatile Semblance while she dug her fingers into Blake's shoulders. "You're such a coward! You don't have any right to call her that! She's not! She's not!"

"Thistle… I-"

"No!" The trembling girl violently shook Blake while burning hot tears fell from her eyes. "You're stupid! She loves you! She loves you! Damn it why did you have to do this to her!?"

"Blake… she's broken. She's lost. I- I love Ruby with all my heart, I'd die for her, but she can't return that love, maybe she never will be able to. You're different, I don't know how or why, but she needs you right now, not me." Admitting that, Blake could feel the bitter taste those words stained her tongue with.

"She's not a monster, she's… a fallen angel. You know she still feels love, she has so much for us, but she's afraid, a scared, fragile little kid. Maybe that's why you're the one she needs… you're both cowards." With a soft exhale, her grip relaxed and she weakly fell back against what was left of the table.

"She kills people…" Blake wipered, pulling herself into a ball on the floor. "I've seen her do things, horrible things. I am a coward, I'm afraid of turning into her, I don't want to be a m- … I don't want to be someone that hurts people."

"You're hurting Ruby." It was a simple utterance… but to Blake, it felt like a punch in the stomach. "She's becoming addicted to Venom. I can't stop her, neither can Yang, or Roman, or Neo. She's falling… and you need to save her, for her sake and yours."

"I don't get it. You love her so much, how can you want me to come back?" It didn't make sense, she just couldn't wrap her mind around it.

"It's because I love her… you're both idiots, you need each other. I want Ruby to smile… god her smile, her real smile… it's really special isn't it?" Thistle was still crying, tears silently rolling down her cheeks, but even so, she had the warmest grin on her face, the imagine of her beloved's smile filled her beyond the brim with happiness even in as much pain as she was in.

"Yeah…" It was all Blake manage to say. _It's pure, selfless love. She left Ruby alone to save her… I left Ruby to save myself. From what?_

"Being with her doesn't make you a monster. Running away from happiness isn't noble, it's pathetic. Honestly, I don't think you deserve her, but deserving is overrated. If you still want her, and I think you do, then why run from it?"

"Because she kills people, I can't be okay with that, I can't be okay with murder and torture and god knows what else she's doing! It's not right… it's not right." Saying that twice, she couldn't help but think who she was trying to reassure.

 _Has me being gone changed anything? Is there less suffering because I'm not with her? What about me?_ Her thoughts turned to her suicide attempt her first week living under Burley's roof, downing a bottle of pills and waking up in a puddle of her own urine and vomit, with Lilah sitting beside her all night. _I'm suffering more too. What's the point? Everything is the wrong choice. Maybe it would have been better if I didn't survive that._

"You're just a little bundle of self pity aren't you? ' _It's not right_ ' what does that even mean? Everything she's done has been for love, for her sister. The world carelessly took everything her sister had, her dreams, her body, her independence, and Ruby has dedicated her life to giving the world hell to make things right. She might be a coward when it comes to her own feelings, but love is what drives every single action she makes. So, what are you running away for, Blake?"

"I- I don't-"

 **knock-knock-knock**

The rapid banging on the door took both their attention from the deeply uncomfortable conversation. Blake gave her silently gratitude for whoever was on the other side as she stood up, getting ready to explain to Burley about the explosion, but as she opened the door, she was taken aback.

"Lilah? What are you doing here?" Blake took a step back, feeling a deep sense of foreboding. The lion faunus was wearing a clearly high end dress that definitely didn't belong to her.

"I overheard something during my photo-shoot, someone was looking for you. The said your name was Blake and they described you in a creepy amount of detail. Some obnoxious cannon fodder, making demands and threats, figured they were hitting up everywhere you might be working so I 'went to the bathroom'. Anyway, they're out here looking for you, talking to Mr. Burley, figured it'd be more fun to watch if you had a heads up." Her tan skin was slick with sweat and her breathing was subdued but labored. Blake and Thistle could both tell she had run as fast she could to get to them.

"Stay here, I'll check it out." Thistle attached the chains from her karambit knives to her wrists, the tiny woman's focus as deadly sharp as her blades.

"So, is this some kind of kink or do you just always fuck hoes while you're armed to the teeth?" Lilah eyed Thistle dubiously while quickly getting the fuck out of her way.

"This is Thistle, she's… a friend." Blake pulled Lilah into the room by her arm, putting herself in front of her. _I've got a really bad feeling about this._

"Uh oh… I recognize one of them. Last time I saw him, I was kicking his and his friends' asses." Thistle peered out over the threshold, seeing three armed faunus men talking to a the owner of the establishment. "Blake… it's the White Fang."


	17. Falling: Part 2

Sweat dripped down a quivering brow, stinging dull, bloodshot silver eyes as they stared down at her hands. The hum of the engine vibrated through her entire body like an earthquake, sending waves of pain through every muscle. _I never thought it would get this bad._

Ruby's withdrawal from the Venom was in full effect and it took every ounce of will she had to keep every thought from screaming at her to take the stolen vial of clean Venom in her bag. _L- later. I'll take it later. For now, this is all I can do._

With her vision blurring in and out, she shakily lifted the blade of a scalpel up just a little. To her exhausted body it felt like it might as well have weighed twenty kilograms. _Damn it! Damn it! Just hold still a little longer. Fuck… almost…_

"Done…" Her parched throat cracked at the soft spoken word as she finish separating a fine line of white powder on her briefcase. The blade rolled free of her weak grasp but she didn't care, all that her mind was focused on now was getting relief.

"Do you really need to be doing that?" Roman's less than approving tone reverberated through her head like he was shouting just millimeters away from her.

"Yes and could you keep it down?" Ruby grumbled, wiping the cocaine from her nose, almost immediately feeling her body get a rush of desperately needed energy. _It won't last long, but hopefully enough to do what I need to do_

"How the mighty have fallen, it would be quite a spectacle if it wasn't so painful to watch. Like a train wreck that I'm standing a little too close to." Right beside Ruby, Cinder spoke with words so cold Ruby could swear she felt the temperature drop. There was no humor this time… only pity and disappointment.

"I… I just need it, for right now." Her mind was too hazy to think of anything better to say. What that even meant, even Ruby had no idea. Deep down, her aching heart knew that she was only falling faster into the bottomless pit.

"Whatever you say, Doctor." Cinder sighed so softly no one caught it… no one but Ruby. She knew Cinder wasn't a fool. Both women knew where Ruby was going, and to Cinder, the only woman she admired as an equal was barreling down willfully to oblivion.

"We're almost there, you ready?" Torchwick was on his third cigar of the day, his stress and worry putting Fire Dust on his nicotine addiction. In all the time he had known Ruby, he'd never seen her like this. _Self destructive doesn't even begin to describe it. I know what she's doing… that stupid kid. What can I do for her now though? She's already driven away the only two that can save her at this point… I guess it's all up to that Short Fuse._

"Y-yeah, I'm good. Cinder and I are going in alone, make sure you keep out of sight." Even with her brain's wiring scrambled, even with her body feeling like it had been hit by a truck and every nerve writhing to get more Venom… _I've come too far to fall apart now._

"Got it, boss." Her brief moment of intensity, that flash of her old self, however dim and fleeting, gave Roman hope.

"Come on, let's get this over with." Giving a less than inspiring rally to her accomplices, Ruby downed a small handful of pills, various uppers, relaxers and antidepressants, all to just take the edge off of the damage done by the Venom.

The bright sun burned her eyes and made her skin feel like she just stepped into an oven. Everything was miserable and horrible, even Cinder closing her door on the other side of the vehicle was painful to her ears.

Every step, her knees felt like they would give out and the sun was so blinding that it felt like it was burning right through her retinas. Every gentle breeze felt like an ocean's wave, nearly throwing off her precarious balance. Blood felt like it was just draining from her face and head, her vision was all but whited out and she felt like she could fall unconscious at any moment.

At this point, she gave up on seeing where she was going, instead following the grating, painful sound of Cinder's heels clicking against the asphalt. Her knees buckled with every step and relief from her pills was still a ways off. _If Blake were here, she could have helped me take the drugs intravenously… it's for the best that she's not in my life anymore._

 _Why am I doing this? Why? What an I doing all this for? It hurts… it hurts so much. I should have just taken the Venom back there, when I saw it, why did I wait? Why am I pushing myself? They're all gone, they both left me. I won't survive like this long enough to cure Yang. I- I've already thrown everything away. This- This is what I wanted… so why am I still-_

"Hurry up." Cinder's harsh hiss snapped Ruby back to reality. Squinting her eyes, she could make out the wavering figure of her companion holding the door open in front of her. "If your weak legs can't bear the weight of what you've take upon yourself, then collapse here. Roman will be happy to take you home."

"N- no, I'm fine, I can-"

"You're about to collapse after walking ten steps in a parking lot. If you can't handle this, then why don't you go home and take what you procured earlier and drift away into a peaceful oblivion?" Cinder's words burned with an intensity and fire that nearly stopped Ruby's frantic shivering.

"You… you saw?" Was all the doctor could manage to utter.

"Oh? I didn't think you'd insult my intelligence, I don't let many people get away with that, I'd recommend not doing it again." As Ruby's vision strained to focus in on Cinder, it was her deadly amber eyes that struck her first.

"S… so...rry." Ruby's tongue suddenly felt stupidly heavy, but her shaking had subsided and though her legs felt much weaker, they were also steady and more easy to control. Her medication was beginning to hit, but it would be over an hour before the full effect kicked in.

"You know, if you take that, all your pain will go away, and you can drift into that blissful oblivion. If you do tough, who do you think will be there if you wake up? Certainly not me. Roman? Neo? They'll leave you too, after they realize you're a lost cause. Your sister? How can you care for her if you're in out of it for days or soon enough, dead. You'll be all alone… but maybe that's what you want now." Cinder's eyes, her tone, everything about her challenged Ruby, a will so potent it pushed her, like an updraft from a violent volcano forcing her up from the bottomless pit.

"Sh….ut… grrr…. UP!" Ruby snapped, baring her teeth while her eyes gleamed with an intensity to match Cinder's, her heart was pounding as fury and fire flooded her veins. Tears pooled over her silvery irises. "Shut up shut up!"

"Hmm, I guess you're not all gone after all." With a devious smile, Cinder opened the door a little wider for her friend. "Let's get going, we have a lot to do."

"Right." The rage, the adrenaline, it was just enough to overwhelm the withdrawal, and she marched forward, still barely able to stand, but standing tall regardless.

Smirking at Roman, Cinder mentally marked her victory, before closing the door behind them.

* * *

"Dr. Rose, it's been a while." A pale and scrawny man sat behind a big desk, looking at them in their seats with a feigned pleasant smile. Well dressed, cleanly shaven and dark hair slicked back and obnoxious to the highest degree.

"High Councilman Card, I don't feel like exchanging pleasantries today. You're the sole holdout on my proposal, I'm here to fix that." Every word, every steady breath, every slight adjustment to her posture took so much conscious effort that she had none left for patience.

"Ah yes, your proposal. Heh- heh." He leaned forward, his elbows resting on his desk. "That's right, you want permission to singularly distribute the street narcotic Venom at your own rehab clinics, and produce it in your own lab, all under the umbrella of Sandalwood Pharmaceuticals."

"The company I represent would also like to begin research to determine new and more effective treatments for addicts as well as potential clinical uses for the drug. It could be an invaluable tool, and Sandalwood is the only company in position to deploy our rehab clinics and addiction specialists to all of Vale, and we can deploy in every other kingdom as well in a matter of weeks thanks to our extensive network inherited from Slate Pharmaceuticals." She knew well before they arrived that she wouldn't be her best self, her brain was working at half capacity at best. _But this is just another part of the plan, I know what to do._

"Right, yes, the company you took over after dethroning Rexxie Slate, you know, I preceded over that merger and it never sat well with me." He was a weasel of a man, but he wasn't stupid.

"I remember, but I'm not here to dredge up old times. I'm here for the good of the people. I've called a press event, they and many concerned citizens are waiting for us. I'm sure you wouldn't want to disappoint them." Just when she thought the Venom withdrawal had robbed her of her ability to feel joy, the look on his face as he narrowed his eyes at her made her smirk, just a little.

"That was pretty presumptuous of you." His expression and body relaxed as he fell back into his chair. "You know, you look pretty under the weather today, are you sure you should be out and about? Wouldn't want you getting anyone sick now would we?"

"Card, sign off on my proposal, and give a speech with me. This a crisis after all, and how will the people of Vale feel to know that their leader won't lift a pen to help them." Her smile was long gone and her ability to pretend to be civil was nearly dead too. With great effort and strain, she forced herself to stand, wobbling as she approached his desk.

With a look of annoyance, Cinder joined Ruby, positioning herself strategically in case her associate collapsed.

"Hmm, careful now, if you fall, and hurt yourself, you might get blood on my good rug." He chuckled to himself, twirling his pen in his soft, weak hands.

"Why are you wasting time? Venom kills over one-hundred thousand people a year, and hospitalizes more than double that. It kills more than all opioids, cocaine and amphetamines combined. It tears apart family, if used while pregnant, it causes fetal liver failure that is fatal nine out of ten times to the newborn. Addiction rates are near one hundred percent and- and… and."

Ruby's throat felt tight and swollen as she fought back tears of fear and a cold chill flooded her chest.

"And less than a quarter of a percent of addicts successfully recover…"

Cinder just stared at her, eyes wide and mouth ever so slightly agape… even she didn't know that statistic.

"Yes, yes, as interesting as that is, it doesn't change one crucial fact." He shrugged, leaning back in his comfy chair.

"And what's that?" She hated him, she hated what he represented. _A pathetic person with power he hasn't earned. Him and the Rexxie Slate's of this world… they make me sick._

"It's pragmatic, so I trust you understand, Venom has an important purpose. As long as the slums are fed with it, as long as miserable people are hooked, they won't attract Grimm." His face became more stoic as he folded his hands under his chin. "It's a necessary evil."

 **Slam!**

The room echoed with the sound of Ruby slamming her hands down onto his desk, biting down through the pain and shock that flew through her body at the impact. Even Cinder was startled by the sudden outburst, to say nothing of the weak little man before her.

"Necessary evil?!" She roared, her gaze burning into his. "These are people you're supposed to protect! Noblesse Oblige, people like you and I are the privileged with the power and obligation to protect those who trust us, no matter what!"

"Well, I can't say I expected so much idealism from you." He shrugged, unfazed by her declaration.

"It's not idealism, it's your job. Just because the people the people who need protecting are poor, or sick, or lost, doesn't mean you get to discard them." Her rage was so potent now, so profound, that it overwhelmed her withdrawal completely.

"Like I said, we're all better off this way. It's best not to disturb the status quo." With an indifferent tone and an amused grin, he stood up to face the enraged doctor.

"You bastard." Ruby's voice was so soft and deadly that Cinder barely heard her, but she did see her hand rush into her lab coat pocket and-

"Ruby." Cinder's voice and gentle touch to her shoulder stopped the doctor from going through with whatever terrible idea she was about to act on. "You don't look well, why don't you go splash your face with cold water while I finish our negotiations?"

"Yeah… I'll do that." Her body was shaking again, partly as her adrenaline wore off and partly as the withdrawal took over again. The red drained from her face as she slowly pulled her hand from her pocket, her empty palm falling weakly to her side before she walked away.

"Sorry about that, she's getting over a pretty bad flu that's going around." Cinder spoke calmly and politely, which was the last thing Ruby heard before the door shut behind her and she stumbled into the hallway.

 _I almost ruined everything… fuck. I- I can barely walk again, it's even worse than before. W-where is the bathroom?_ Wave of pain and weakness overwhelmed her as she wandered the thankfully empty halls of the Capital Satellite Building.

 _I- can't give my speech like this. I- I need to hold out, the drugs just needs a little longer to kick in, and then- and then…_

She collapsed.

Pain roared through her nerves so bad she let out an audible yelp of agony while her blurring vision became more and more incomprehensible.

Finally, after crawling in pain for minutes that felt like days, she fell into the bathroom and pulled herself across the floor to the toilet, just aware enough to be relieved that the building was nearly empty thanks to the press event outside, drawing security and saff outside.

 _I can't go on like this. Just hold on, just hold… on._ Even as her thoughts screamed at her, she shut the stall door…and vomited.

"No… No…" She could barely get those words out before another tsunami of nausea pushed the contents of her stomach out. The taste of bile, acid and the fant tinge of blood all slicked her mouth with a flavor that made her vomit even more.

After five minutes hunched over a toilet, all that was left was dry heaves.

"No… th- the pills…" She could barely speak without gagging, and with slick, sticky saliva dripping from her mouth, she looked into the toilet uselessly, only seeing some shreds of the capsules that held together some of the drugs she took.

 _I can't do this anymore! I can't, I can't. I can't give the speech like this... I can't do anything…_

"I need… Venom." A weak and pathetic whimper of defeat slipped from her lips, collapsing back against the soothing cold metal of the stall.

"Is that so?" A voice from nowhere snapped Ruby violently to attention as her head painfully shot towards the voice, sending her into another crippling wave of dizziness.

"Don't be too frightened just yet, it's only me." Cinder knelt down by Ruby who had left the stall open without thinking. "You really are pathetic."

"I- I…"

"Shut up." A Cinder's command, Ruby stopped trying to speak while her friend closed the stall behind her and started stripping.

Cinder slowly and carefully unbuttoned her blouse from the top down, becoming more hurried after the first two buttons. As her top fell to the side, She unhooked her bra from behind, letting it slide off into her hands.

"Here, I already have a copy of that idiot running his mouth, I'll bring it to Roman while you show that pathetic man the recording. Don't screw it up." Cinder handed her bra to the doctor and then helped herself to taking Ruby's bra off for her.

"You know, he was half right." Cinder's voice was unusually solemn as she dressed herself and stood up. "The Venom does reduce misery in those who use it, for a bit anyway, but also increases misery for those who have to watch it happen."

"Where are you-"

"I'm leaving." With those simply spoken words, she opened the door, and stepped out, but not before stopping and without turning to look at the broken woman behind her, gave one last message to the woman that… _I may have loved… or at least, as close as I could get._

"I hate… weakness."

After that… she was gone.

In the silence left after the bathroom door closed, Ruby sat, stinking of vomit and sweat, on a cold, hard bathroom floor… all alone. She could still feel the warmth of Cinder's breasts in the bra that she was just wearing.

Ruby, half naked, drooling on herself and barely able to lift her own arms, brought the bra up to her face, and gently inhaled. It smelled like her, like cinnamon and smoke, but not an acrid smoke, something soothing and comforting, like a whiff of a campfire on a cool night.

Her arms collapsed back down to the floor, and she found herself staring at the sickly, flickering fluorescent light above.

"Heh…" A bitter laugh rose above the silence, just barely.

 _She's better off… they're all…_

"Better off… without me."

* * *

"Roman." Staggering to the van, Ruby fell weakly against the back door. Getting out with Cinder's bra on, the underwire hiding the electronics and recording device from the metal detectors. "Roman…"

 **Click**

The door unlocked but it took Ruby putting her body weight against the handle for it to budge, her muscles too drained to do anything but lift up briefly.

The young doctor fell on her ass, and then pulled herself into the car off the ground, completely unable to stand anymore. Only one thing kept her from passing out…

"Red, what's going on in there?! Cinder comes out, hands me a nano-disk and tells me she feels sorry for me. What the hell did you do?" Roman had clearly gone through a number of cigars in the time they were inside, a sign of his stress, but Ruby didn't even notice.

"R-Roman… I- I need help." She stammered, her nausea returning and her nerves beginning to sear with a burning pain, one of the more dreaded symptoms of withdrawal from Venom.

"You still haven't answered-"

"I NEED that Venom. I need it, I need it… I need it."

"What!? No, no! You are not doing this to yourself, I am not losing you like this. Damn it, how did everything get so screwed up?" He wasn't sure why, he couldn't begin to fathom it… but a pang of guilt arced through his chest.

"I need it, please, I can't do this without it. I can't do anything without it, the withdrawal… it's too much, please, please, I need it, just little… just enough." Ruby… was crying.

"It's 'just a little' now, but you know that it won't end that way. I can't watch you kill yourself like this, I can't-"

"I NEED THIS!" Ruby lashed out in rage, her hands were too shaky at this point to do it herself without risking injury. "It- it's in my bag, just in-inject a little, into my GSV, on my inner thigh… that way no one will see the injection site."

"Red… I'm not doing it." Roman took a deep drag off his cigar and tilted his hat down. "I can't stop you… but I can't watch either."

"Fine!" Ruby barked, her tremor stricken hands diving into her bag, fumbling for her syringe full of Venom. As soon as it was in her hand, she pulled up her skirt and suspended the shaking needle over her great saphenous vein.

 _Hold still, hold still, damn it my leg isn't even holding still, just need to time it right and…_

The needle punctured her skin… right where it was supposed to, it hurt like hell, her shaking hand letting blood drip from the puncture site while she slowly pushed down on the plunger.

 _Just a little, just a little… no… I need to stop. I can't do too much, why can't I stop… damn it._

"That's enough!" Roman took the syringe, damage to her leg be damned. Blood poured out from the small wound but the Venom is inside her… and within seconds, she started to feel true relief.

"Thank you… Roman." A sigh and a smile followed the injection and then her whole body relaxed. Pain and dizziness was erased almost immediately, and she felt better… better than any other time since she last took Venom.

"Get out…" His low growl was saturated with sorry, and though Ruby couldn't see, his green eyes were quenched with tears behind the brim of his hat.

"Roman, I-"

"No. Get out, now." His head fell onto the steering wheel, and all that could be hear was the sound of another deep inhale of his smoke.

Guilt and self hatred mingled with the warmth of the venom, even the small dose she took was incredible. Ruby did what she could to patch herself up and hide the blood… before leaving the car, and Roman.

 _Focus, just focus. I get this done, then I can get help… I get this done, and it won't all be for nothing._

"Are you watching… Blake?"


	18. The Stray: Part 2

**BOOOOM!**

The deafening thunder crack of an explosion ripped through the narrow alley, shattering windows and sheering concrete from the earth immediately below, leaving a small crater in its wake.

"Run!" A tiny young woman screamed above the painful reverb of her own Semblance, sweat clinging to her exposed skin and flicking from her side braid as she rapidly turned to follow Blake and Lilah.

Thistle kept her body, eyes and head moving, looking up, to her sides and behind her, but every time she checked for danger, her eyes darted back to the two women in front of her.

"Over there! In the alleys!" A deep voice roared from some unseen place.

 _Fuck, I need to be more subtle. I could probably take them all no problem, but this Lilah bitch doesn't even have her Aura unlocked and Blake isn't much of a fighter, and she doesn't even have a weapon. Okay, okay, I need to focus on getting them safe and out of sight so I can deal with this._

"I don't know these two!" Lilah shouted back while keeping her legs moving. Even so, Thistle couldn't help but notice that she slowed down to match pace with Blake.

"Shut up! Just stay with us, you can trust Thistle." Blake kept her eyes forward, with Thistle covering the rear and Lilah having no fighting experience, she kept watch for anyone who might get in front of them.

The clapping of many boots on the ground slowly became audible over their own frantic running. Their enemies were closing in, fast. Thistle could faintly hear people barking orders, though more quietly than before. _They're playing this smart, probably surrounding this whole part of the ghetto. They're organized, well armed and weirdly dedicated to catching Blake. This is gonna trouble._

"Found them! Three targets at my location, Blake is here!" A voice spoke up from behind, the static of a walkie-talkie popping on for just a moment before he reported them in.

"Get down!" At Thistle's command, Blake threw herself and her friend to the ground, putting her body on top of Lilah's. Her ears folded down and her eyes squeezed shut as she waited for the shooting to start.

 **Bang!**

 **Bang-Bang!**

Shots rang out and bullets flew, over it all, Blake's ears could hear Thistle's semblance hissing with anticipation.

Chains and clattered and metal scraped concrete before she heard the sounds of flesh striking flesh.

"W-wait! Don't- GAAAH!" The distinct _**snap**_ of bone breaking melded with his scream of agony. "Help! Backup! H-"

Before the man's voice could utter another syllable, what sounded like a fountain splashing on cement cut him off… and the metallic smell of blood filled the air.

Silence…

"We need to move." Thistle's voice was cool but firm, with just a little hint of thrill as her footsteps splashed in the shallow pool beneath her feet.

Blake's head slowly lifted up, her heart pounding as adrenaline flooded her body. Looking back, she saw the crumpled body of a White Fang solder, twitching just once more, before life left him completely.

"You can get off me now, how can you be so heavy with such a flat ass?" Lilah grumbled, lifting herself up with Blake's help as soon as she got off of her.

"You're welcome." Shaking her head at her friend's attitude, Blake couldn't help but smile just a little.

"Hey, your girlfriend there is a psychopath… I like her!" Lilah grinned excitedly as she brushed the dust out of her mane.

"She's not my… uhg, later, come on, let's get moving." Without having a moment to catch their breath, they bolted down the alley, voices shouted commands, organizing a large force of White Fang soldiers to surround them, just like Thistle had predicted.

Thistle stayed alert, but her position less than ideal. _Protecting two non combatants by myself against a large group… I can't protect them from the front and back at the same time._

Gritting her teeth, Thistle ran faster, trying to catch up and get in front of her two… less than combat inclined charges. Her senses were sharp and her mind flooded with information, experience, the life she had before joining Ruby.

 **clink**

The tiniest sound, one barely within range of human hearing, caught Thistle's attention. Grinding to a stop, her head shot up and the sun shined down into her eyes, she could barely make them out…

"Keep running!" Thistle shouted at the top of her lungs as she bolted for the wall to her left, where three men sat on the roof with the sun to their backs, one armed with a sniper rifle ready to fire.

In the next instant, two simultaneous explosions blasted her knives into the stone face of the wall. All the men saw next was a little girl in short shorts and a strip of purple fabric around her chest, screaming as she ran up the the against gravity towards them. Then…

 **BOOOOM!**

Thistle loosed explosions from beneath her feet and her knives in sequence, the timing and placement of her Semblance powderized the concrete and brought the building's side crashing to the ground, men and all.

Within an instant, Thistle felt free, her whole body soaring through the air after she launched herself upward. Light set her hair aglow and the free flowing air wicked away her sweat, pleasantly cooling her body. For just a moment, the exhilaration almost eclipsed what intended to do.

Gravity took its inevitable effect. Quickly, she twisted herself, reorienting her body mid fall. She didn't get as far up as she'd hoped… _but it's enough._

Thistle's tiny body hit the ground with a roll, her Aura protecting her from the trauma of the fall, but she still definitely felt the impact. No time to relax, Thistle sprang up, not wasting any momentum from her tumble while she broke into a full sprint to catch back up with Blake and Lilah who thankfully hadn't gotten too far.

"As much as I hate being the reasonable one, where the fuck are we going? That bitch is crazy and I dig it, but are we really fighting our way out of this shit?" Lilah could see Blake was barely coherent, and she was slowing down. She found it a pain in the ass to match her slow pace.

"Thirty meters south-east, There's a warehouse we can hide in, they're spreading out to cover the most area but they're thinnest there." It wasn't much of a plan, it was more to keep them calm and moving than anything else. _But if we don't get out of the slums and get to where the police actually care to go, we're screwed. Maybe this is big enough to get the the police and Huntsman's attention. Okay, that's the plan, we call the police once we have a moment to-_

"Blake! Get off her you creep!" Lilah growled in disgust as she came to grinding halt.

A man clad in standard White Fang grunt wear popped out from a side alley, throwing his arms around the cat faunus. She struggled, but he was stronger.

"Heh-heh, you're coming home, Belladonna." His grip tightened around her, his arm wrapped over her neck and his other hand rushing to his pocket.

"L-let them go." Was all Blake could say before he crushed her throat harder with his arm. Then, she felt a surging pain through all her muscles when his taser forced her body limp. _This is all my fault…_

 **Thwop!**

The dull but unmistakable sound of someone getting bashed in the face by a fist rang out and seconds later… Blake hit the ground.

"Don't touch her you low tier canon fodder!" Lilah roared, her knuckles red from punching him in the face. Her expression contorted with disgust she launched a devastating kick to his balls, putting him straight to the ground.

"Can you get up!?" Thistle knelt over Blake, arriving just as the grunt went down. She carefully, lifted her, quickly looking over for any serious injuries. Aside from a scrape on her chin and hands, she was fine.

"Y-yeah…" With Thistle on one side and Lilah on the other, they pulled Blake up, getting hre to her feet. "Thanks… but-"

"We don't have time, we need to keep moving." Thistle parted from Blake as soon as she was stable on her own. Her mind solely focused on getting them all out alive.

"Hey, you, get over here!" With a deadly growl, Thistle grabbed the much larger man, twisting his shirt in her fist as she raised him up to her eye level, his legs limp on the concrete. "If you don't want to die, you're going to do exactly what I say."

"G-get your hands off me, my people will kill y- youch! Fuck!" Without hesitation, Thistle kneed him in his balls.

"If you want to ever have kids or live long enough to see tomorrow, you'll shut up and listen." Thistle was done playing, with her free hand, she brought her knife down between his legs. "First I'll castrate you, then, if you still don't cooperate, I'll cut your femoral artery and you'll bleed to death."

"F-fine… just, just get that thing away from there." His tough persona melted in an instant.

"You're going to call in and tell them you found us running north west, then you're giving me your radio. You try anything, and I'll make sure you die a lot more slowly and painfully than a quick bleed out." Thistle's Semblance made the air tremble again, a trademark of her rage, the tiny girl's raw power slipping out with her emotions.

"We get those radical rejects going the wrong way, I like it." Lilah approved, getting a kick out of them running around like the idiots they were.

"Wait, will that really work?" Blake, however, saw the big problem with that plan. _We have to take him with us, knock him out and hope he doesn't wake up or have to report in… or we kill him._

"No, it won't, that's why he's coming with me. I'm good at making a lot of noise, if he reports seeing us while I blow up a few buildings, they'll come after me in force. You hide until my second explosion. After that, you run, you run to the warehouse and you don't stop." With a solemn, hardened look in her chilling purple eyes, she began to drag him off.

"Wait, you're leaving us?! Hey, none of my business if you're suicidal, but off yourself on your own time, we need you!" Fear and anger weighed heavily in Lilah's words, mingled with a soft ache of worry.

"No, I'm not letting you do this." Blake reached out, grabbing Thistle's arm through the hissing air stirred by her power. "I can't let you put yourself in danger anymore, you're always being so selfless, just… just stop! You need to live. Ruby needs you too!"

"Lilah, keep her safe for me… I'll be back." Without turning to face them, she jerked her arm free from Blake, and began to walk away. _I couldn't save Ruby, I'm not going to let you down too._

"Fine!" The lion faunus huffed, folding her arms over her chest. "But if we die because of you I'm haunting your ass forever."

"Thistle… come home safe." There was nothing more she could do. Thistle was the most stubborn person she knew, resilient was her defining word. If she wanted things this way, nothing could stop her. _I hate this… I hate this so much. I'm so- no! No, I don't have time for this, Thistle is strong, and she wouldn't abandon Ruby by dying here. I just need to do my part._

"We need to hide." Blake shook off her doubt and self pity, focusing on making sure she protected both herself and Lilah so Thistle wouldn't take that risk for nothing.

"Yeah, I heard your tiny psycho friend, but neither of you idiots have mentioned where the hell we're gonna hide." Lilah snipped, shaking her head at her misfortune. _Between the obnoxiously cute health hazard and the gloomy doomy kitty cat, I'm the designated functioning brain cell here._

"Um…" Blake's reeling mind finally caught up to where Lilah's already was, and she began frantically looking around. "Okay, there's a pretty big pile of garbage over there, we just-"

"No, uh-uh, I would rather die and stalk that knify bitch for eternity than wade into that." She grimaced at the thought of getting in there, but Blake was already walking ahead.

"Well, those are your options." Shrugging off her friend's bitchiness, she got ready to settle into her hiding place.

"Uhg! Whatever, if we don't die, you're paying my dry cleaning. This dress is worth more than you."

* * *

"Aright, this should be far enough." Thistle mumbled, peering out a dirty, cracked window with bars on the outside. She had managed to break into what seemed to be an abandoned storage unit, the dust and stale air was nearly suffocating, but it was cover. _They were smart, chasing us this way, almost every building around here is abandoned, Ghost Town Row, they call it. Well, it's no ideal, but at least I can fight all out without worrying about collateral damage, and there's a lot of places to hide. I just hope I last long enough… for them to get away safely._

"F-far enough for what? W-what are you going to do? You know, there's over a hundred of us here, you kill me and-"

"Yeah yeah, your friends will come after me, got it. Now, it's time to make the call. You tell them exactly what we went over." With a flick of her wrist her knife jumped into her hand.

With next to no effort, she shoved him to the hard floor and knelt down over him, keeping him down while the tip of her knife pressed into his shoulder. Crinson tinged his white uniform as he bled from the small, largely harmless wound.

"If you don't sell it, I'll have to make you sound more convincing." Her eyes stared hard into his, and she could see his throat move as he gulped down his fear.

 **Chhhhhhht.**

"T-targets spotted! Fleeing north by northwest in the bottom left quadrant! Three girls on foot, Blake is with them and-"

 **BOOOOOM!**

With a lash of her knife against the ground a concussive blast rang out, shattering the windows and blasting apart the floor.

"Think they heard that?" She grinned, pulling him up while carefully taking the knife out of his body. "Come on, you're not done playing your part."

Grabbing his wrist she ran head, kicking down a door and bolting back into the alleys. As they ran, Thistle rapidly looked back and forth, keeping an eye on her unwilling accomplice as well as scanning for any trouble. _I can't let them report that I'm alone or with this guy, as soon as anyone sees me, I have to kill them, quickly._

She could hear shouts of soldiers and the hisses of radios, as organized as they were, the White Fang's forces were way too eager to broadcast their movements. It also didn't hurt that she could keep tabs on them through her captive's radio.

 _I wish I had time to interrogate him, this is a hugely disproportionate response for one random girl. Who the hell is Blake? Damn it, she never should have left Ruby! Because of her, Ruby's falling and I'm running through the slums with a captive while being hunted by terrorists. If we don't all die, she's not gonna be able to run away from me!_ Biting down with Rage, Thistle focused on getting back and confronting the stray cat faunus.

She stopped, throwing the White Fang against the wall while she pressed her back against it, keeping as quiet as she could. She could still hear a lot of movement, they were definitely getting closer. _We haven't gotten far enough to give the signal, we need to keep moving, but not getting seen might be impractical at this point._

"Get out there." Thistle growled as they approached the end of their cover, where two alleys converged. Without giving time to explain, she kicked him into the open, the fool toppling at the light push.

With that she followed him, looming over the terrified man while she quickly looked left and right. Without waiting for him to regain his composure, she grabbed him by his collar and burst into mad dash.

 _Come on, come on, just a bit further, just a bit-_

"Hey! Stop!" Thistle was snapped out of her thoughts by an commanding shout as three guys came from an connected path.

"Make yourself useful!" Was all the man heard from Thistle before he found himself sent flying down the alley with a single, powerful throw. His dead weight knocking down his comrades like bowling pins.

Thistle rushed in, wasting no time in her attack, lashing out with her blade, cutting the first one's throat just as he began to stand. In the next second she took out the second one, landing on his face with her shoe, all her of momentum and weight cracking his skull as soon as it hit the pavement.

"Help!" Was all the last one managed to scream before the knife that was lagging behind Thistle followed her, the chain wrapping around his neck, choking him before she jerked his body up and then landed a powerful kick to the back of his head.

"Time… time to get moving." Thistle was already feeling the fatigue of running and fighting. Heavy, panting breaths stung her dry throat she she walked over to her captive and pulled him up.

 _Hope they heard that scream. Not much further, this should have been enough time for them to mobilize._ Shifting priorities, Thistle looked around frantically for an easy entrance into one of the abandoned buildings. "Up you go."

"W-wait! Don't-"

 **Crash!**

Too late, his body had broken through a large window in an abandoned house covered in vines and falling apart. In the next instant, the impact of a pair of shoes landing hard on his back knocked the air out of his lungs.

"Phew, at least this is good cardio, heh-heh." She giggled to herself as she stepped off her impromptu cushion. However, as her eyes adjusted to the dark… her smile dissapeared.

There, huddled in the corner… a small family, three children and a teenager, all faunus, the older boy positioned himself between the kids and her. He looked afraid, he was shaking and as she stepped closer, she could see he was crying. _Shit..._

"Hey, you, what the hell are you doing here?" She didn't have time for nice.

"W-w-we live here. Get out… please." Poor kid was terrified, no worse than the children behind him though.

"You with the White Fang?" She didn't know what she would do if they had said yes. Thankfully, the boy responded with a tremoring shake of his head.

"This girl is an enemy of the faunus, a filthy human, the kind that keeps you down and-"

 **Crunch!**

The sound of his nose breaking as Thistle's fist crumpled his stupid face filled the otherwise silent house.

"Shut the hell up." Her voice was soft but filled with contempt as she flicked the blood off her hand.

"Ash, I'm scared!" A little girl clung to her older brother, her, crying unabashed while he tried to maintain at least the appearance of strength.

"Are you a Huntress?" His voice stabilized, forcing bravery conviction into his words as he stared into Thistle's eyes.

"Not exactly." How was she supposed to answer that?

"You have weapons, and you're strong." His hard, desperate eyes were in stark contrast to the rest of his features. Scrawny, weak, dark circles under his eyes. He was starving, sleep deprived and sick. The children behind him weren't much better off.

"Just tell me what you want, kid, there's a lot going on right now and I don't have a lot of time." She had a feeling she knew where this was going, and she didn't like it one bit.

"Take them out of here with you, I can stay behind but it's not safe here for them." His knees buckled from fear as he stood up, taking a weak step towards the smaller girl.

"Kid, it's not safe here for me. I can't babysit for you while I'm fighting an army." She growled, trying to dissuade him. _Please, just shut up already!_

"My dad unlocked my aura before he died. I can help you fight." He was steadfast, stepping into light shining through a dirty window, she got a good look at him.

He had a horn in the middle of his head, a rhino faunus she guessed. He had short, messy black hair and dark tan skin. His eyes, though dull, were a beautiful mix of browns and greens. He tried to look intimidating and strong, looming over the shorter Thistle… until a strong, blunt force knocked the air out of him and threw him to the floor.

"Ash!" The children cried out as he struggled to regain his breath.

"Aura or not, you can barely stand. You'll die in an instant out there." Thistle was huffing with rage as she bent over and pulled him off the ground with one arm. "You stupid, suicidal fuck! What do you think happens to them if you die huh?!"

"I- I-"

"Just shut up! Damn it, fine!" With a bitter hiss, she let him go. "I'll come back for you, so just stay hidden until then, got it?"

"Will you… will you really come back?" He looked exhausted, but hope renewed some light in his eyes.

"Yes, you're too stupid to take care of your brothers and sisters, so I'll do it. Is there a basement here?" She ran her fingers through her sweat soaked hair, more than ready to get back to the action just to burn off her immense frustration.

"Yeah, there is." He nodded, getting the message and not wanting Thistle to take back her offer he turned to his siblings. "We're going downstairs, she's gonna get us out of here but we have to stay quiet."

The three children nodded and went to follow him do a door barely hanging onto the hinges. Except for one little girl, with big green eyes and sandy, light brown hair. She looked to be the second oldest, maybe twelve to the older boy's fourteen.

"Don't let him down…" Was all she said before she went with her family to the basement, leaving Thistle alone with her White Fang captive.

"Shit, what did I just get myself into?" With a hot and heavy exhale she huffed out her irritation before turning back to the man who was bleeding on the floor. "Whatever, time to make that last call. Tell them where I am and you can take a nice nap until this is over."

"F-fine…" He was less than thrilled, but he did as he was told, pulling his radio out while he kept his free hand on his nose to stop the bleeding.

 **Chhhhhht.**

"I've found them again, five minutes north west of my last location. Blake is there but she's being protected! Send everyone! I need backup n-"

 **BOOOOOOM!**

The wall exploded out in an instant, letting in a rush of fresh air as a spray of blood and bone washed over the building across the alley.

 _Fuck, I didn't think that through. If the kids see this, they'll get nightmares. Damn it, this is a huge pain in the ass._ Looking around, she found a large blanket stretched out on the floor. _That'll have to do._

Quickly, she grabbed it and ran back to the giant hole she made in the house. Standing up on her toes she tried to hang the blanket on the frayed wood and metal that was holding the house up, but… _Why do I have to be so damn short!_

The tiny walking explosive hopped up and down frantically, throwing and catching the blanket several times before screaming out in frustration.

Looking around once more, she grabbed a chair from the dilapidated kitchen, the old thing was barely holding together, but it managed to survive her dragging it back to the hole she had made.

Standing up on the chair in what had to be the most humiliating thing she had done all day, she got on her toes and hung it up as best she could, shielding the splattered body bits from view.

"Good enough, time to go." Her cheeks flushed red, she hopped down and gave the chair a swift kick, smashing it to pieces before running out the front door.

Bolting through Ghost Town Row, she made sure she was followed, letting off periodic explosions so they knew just where to find her.

 _Blake and her friend must have heard that second explosion by now. I need to keep all the attention on me so they have a chance to-_

"Found yer." A low, deep voice with a thick accent spoke up as Thistle rounded the next corner.

A large, bulky man with two long teeth protruding down his mouth, a hippo faunus with a very large sword. Accompanying him, was a force of over thirty White Fang soldiers.

She was surrounded in the next instant.

"Dis Little Gurl wus causing all this fuss? Heh- heh." He seemed more than a little amused.

 _Well… I definitely have their attention…_ Taking a long, deep breath, Thistle calmed herself, unraveling her chains to their full length while her hands reached up to her hair. With her eyes closed, she undid her side braid, letting her hair fall softly against her face, swaying freely in the gentle breeze.

 _Don't worry, I'm not dying here. I promise I'll come home someday, so we can talk about how we feel, the right way, Ruby._

* * *

 **Boooooom...**

"Thistle…" Blake stopped, looking towards the dull sound of her familiar explosions in the distance mingled with faint screaming and gunfire. _It sounds like a warzone over there._

"Hey, get your flat ass moving!" The sudden shout made Blake jump before a hand firmly took hers. "Newsflash, staring like a useless idiot isn't doing shit."

"But she-"

"Hey, that psycho bitch is dying this so you can get away, ya know? Geeze, don't you know it's rude to waste someone risking their life for you?" She kept ranting as she pulled Blake away, following Thistle's directions.

"Thistle won't die!" Blake tried to sound certain, but instead, her sadness bled through and her declaration sounded more like denial.

"Damn fucking right she won't. If She dies, and you die, I got garbage in my beautiful mane for nothing and then who am I gonna take it out on?" She kept her eyes forward, looking back and forth, making certain no one popped out in front of them, counting on Blake's ears to hear someone approaching from behind.

"Yeah… I'm broke so she'll be the one paying for your dry cleaning." Blake's mind and body relaxed, just a little as a faint smile lit up her face. _You won't let them kill you, I know you won't._

"Damn straight, both of you are so fucked when we're out of this shit storm." She was pissed, but Blake was calmed by her being there. As the two walked through the maze like Ghost Town, she kept holding Blake's hand, pulling her forward with her.

 _Thistle is out there fighting, best thing we can do is get to the rendezvous point and wait for her there._ Fear and guilt burned away as a flood of conviction soared through her chest. Her eyes rotated, upright and alert, listening for any sounds nearby. _Easier said than done with Thistle giving them hell over there._

 **Scuff**

"Stop." Blake whispered, pulling back on Lilah's hand and bringing both their backs to a nearby wall."There's someone over there."

"How many?" Lilah strained her hearing but her ears where nowhere as acute as her friend's.

"Hmm… sounds like just one." She wasn't one hundred percent sure, but in between gunshots and explosions, she could only hear the sound of one set of boots, and one person breathing.

"You wait here for a second, I got this." Running her fingers through her hair and fluffing up her mane, Lilah prettied herself up as much as she could… before fearlessly stepping out of cover.

"What are you doing…" Blake kept her voice as quiet as possible, but either her friend didn't hear her, or she just chose to ignore her, because Lilah didn't even slow down.

"Hey there…" Lilah stepped into the adjacent alley, relieved to only see only White Fang grunt in their way.

"Stop! Who are you?" He raised a rifle to her, but she didn't flinch.

"Hmm, me? I'm a fan, actually, I love the White Fang, I think what you're doing is really badass." She kept her eyes locked on his, walking slowly and sensually towards him. "I live around here and I heard all the commotion, I just had to see what was up. I'm glad the White Fang is here to help liberate us."

"Y-yeah, that's what we're here for." He blushed, lowering his gun as he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Oh, such a hero. Tell me, how can I join?" She got right up to him, her fingers delicately caressing his hand while she lowered his gun all the way down.

"You want to, um… join?" He wasn't thinking with the head on his shoulders anymore once his arm was resting against her chest.

"Yeah, you know, rah rah go White Fang and all. Plus, I think the men in the White Fang uniform as super hot." With the most seductive smile, she slowly brought her hands up his chest, turning him so he was at eye level with her.

"Well, you know, I- I um… I have some sway with the higher ups, I could definitely get you in front of the line to get recruited…" She felt his hand on her hip, but she didn't even flinch.

"Hmm, well then, sounds like you're somebody I should get to know." She twisted up his top in her hand while she leaned, her lips moving towards his.

 **Bam!**

Her head smashed into his face full force! She didn't let him fall back, instead pulling him back for a painful punch in the face and then a knee to his guts.

He was down for the count. She threw him onto the ground like a bag of garbage.

"As if I'd be interested in low tier trash." She literally spat on him, before stepping on and walking on top of his unconscious body. "Come on Blake, let's get moving."

"Right…" Blake looked down at the guy she had destroyed, making sure he was out.

"Ew, it got blood on my hand, gross." She looked disgusted at her knuckles, as walked off with Blake.

"That's my bitch." Blake laughed softly, more thankful than ever that she had Lilah as a friend.

* * *

"Kill her!" A scream rang out amidst the chaos of battle… just before his throat was slashed open.

Sweat poured down Thistle's face as she weaved between attacks. The large hippo faunus swung his huge sword towards her, the petite girl rolling under it just as two shots were fired at her back, his weapon shielding her from being shot.

Tumbling into a sprint she rushed into the crowd of enemies, parrying a sword slashed towards her with her knife, knocking it upward before her karambit slashed down through his wrist, effortless severing flesh and bone. With one kick she threw him back, knocking down all the men behind him.

In a fluid motion she grabbed his sword, disembodied hand still gripping the hilt.

She turned, twirling her knives with the momentum, the chains blocking a barrage of shots, the bullets exploding into a shower of sparks as soon as the touched her chains.

Diving through the gap in her chains she threw the sword as hard as she could, lodging it into the chest of a soldier before she sprung off the ground and jumped up.

Her feet landed on the hilt of the sword, her weight plus the shock of his wound brought him down, her feet pushing him up once her back hit the ground.

In the next instant blades and bullets shook and slashed the body, but his bones made for a decent shield.

The adrenaline of battle filled every fiber of her being with excitement and energy as she launched the corpse into the air while her body went into a handstand, dodging another swing of the big guy's sword, it slicing into the pavement centimeters from her face.

She reared back and gave a double kick while he was busy yanking his blade out, the hit knocking him back enough for Thistle to find her feet again.

 _I got most of them down… few goons left, then the big guy._ She may have had adrenaline on her side, but she knew her body was reaching its limit. _Damn it, never thought I'd say this again but I wish Vitali were here. Tight quarters and lots of enemies are the worst for me, his Semblance was a lot more tactical than mine. Made us the best team…_

"Ya fuck'n dead!" A battle cry shook her from her thoughts as a blade rushed to cleave her in two!

She jumped back, barely dodging it once again… only for a powerful boot to her side to send her tumbling to the ground.

"Think yer so bad huh? I'll drag yer tiny ass home like a trophy." He laughed while a few more grunts stood up, roughed up, but not down.

"Shut up!" With a defiant roar the air crackled and her heart pounded with battle rage.

She rushed in, running directly towards the White Fang Lieutenant, her hands gripping tight on her chains, letting her knives hang down by less than a meter. Just like she thought, he went for another cleaving kill, swiping across at her… big mistake.

She jumped, tumbling into a flip, timing it perfectly so her hand landed on the flat of the blade. Loosing another explosion she launched herself into the air and smashed his sword back into the ground.

"Aaaaaah!" A furious scream echoed through the battlefield as she stopped her ascent and then, with a blast let out from each knife, she sent herself into a deadly spin.

 **BOOOOOOM!**

Thistle made impact with the ground, blasting it apart like a meteor, the force knocking the Lieutenant down and killing the group of men she landed near instantly. As she staggered up from the crater, her body bruised and bleeding, a spray of bodies painted the area around her.

 _Damn it, I'm glad Vitali wasn't around to see that. I'd have to admit that the Thistle Meteor was a stupid idea. I feel like I'm gonna throw up, never doing that again._

"Wut the fuck? Yeh kill all mah boys! Ya think ahm impressed? I'm still taking your ass home." He easily ripped his sword from the ground again, his physical strength was impressive, even to Thistle.

"Sorry, my ass is already spoken for." She forced back her nausea and dizziness while she prepared to end the fight. _I don't have much left in me… please let this guy be a pushover._

"Too fuck'n bad, heh-heh." He licked his lips, hoisting his sword over his shoulder.

"Fuck off!" Growling, Thistle lashed her karambit at him, keeping her distance from his sword. _Just keep your distance, I can chip him down without risking hits to my aura._

 **Bang!**

The explosion went off… but it was weak, the Lieutenant swatting her explosive blade away with almost no effort, leaving Thistle staring in frustration and annoyance.

"Fancy tricks, but ahm yer worst nightmare, girl." He chuckled, stabbing his blade into the ground. "Mah Semblance dampens damage that hits mah skin. Yer little pops en't gonna do nuth'n."

"Don't brag so much!" Thistle rushed in again, pulling her knife back to her and catching it in her hand, ready to start slashing up close and personal.

"Blades won't do ya much good either." He got ready for her attack, grabbing his sword's hilt, ready to pull it out at a moment's notice.

Just like last time the blade lashed at him, exploding as he swatted it away… but the second one was just behind it, poised to strike him in the face.

 **Bang!**

The explosion went off, but this time, it didn't hit him directly.

"Aaaaaaaa!" Thistle rushed in while he was stunned, putting her hand on top of his hilt and throwing herself up to him.

He leaned back, trying to avoid it, but two more explosions followed, one from each hand simultaneously. It was only then that he realized… he couldn't breath.

Thistle was relentless, a vicious onslaught of explosions, one after another, the pressure waves leaving behind a vacuum that sucked the air right out of his lungs.

"Let's see you dampen this!" She screamed, pushing away from him with another explosion at his face while he desperately grabbed his sword, swinging it all but blindly to get her away.

As soon as she hit the ground, her knife followed, letting loose another explosion at his face, keeping the air away.

She couldn't slow down, she couldn't stop even for a moment. Rushing back in she swung her blades at his face again, this time, both hitting his sword, the full power of her explosions returned when not hitting his skin, each enough to keep the air away.

In the next instant she jumped up, letting a flurry of punches fly at his face, detonating each shock wave just before it she hit his skin. Between the force of her onslaught and the lack of air, he toppled to the ground, and she went with him.

 **BOOOOOOM!**

She pushed her Semblance to its limit, a full body explosion that pushed all the air away from both of them… only she had the forethought to close her eyes and hold her breath.

Then, the biggest flaw of her power took effect… her aura broke, from her own explosions.

Her ears felt like she had nearly blown out her ear drums from the vacuum and her entire body hurt, her fists were bleeding and she could barely stand. _But I'm still conscious…_

Gasping for breath, she weakly pulled her blades across the ground towards her, each seeming like they weighed a ton. Her muscles felt like they had been replaced with solid lead and her vision was blurred.

"Y-you put up a good fight…" Was all she said, before shakily putting the knife to his liver… and letting her body weight do the rest.

She felt him writhe for just a moment as blood began to gush from the wound, but she severed his thoracic aorta, a trick she learned from Ruby. _It's… finally over._

Her body wanted to pass out, all her aura was drained and her body was pushed further than it had ever been before. All around her were the remains of over thirty bodies. She won… but she couldn't rest.

"Blake… please… be safe." She didn't even have the strength to coil her chains as she stood up, instead, all she could do after pulling the knife out of the White Fang Lieutenant, was to let them drag limply behind her.

"S-stop…" A pain filled groan sent a wave of terror through Thistle's heart as she spun around. Only a meter away, someone survived, and they were still armed.

Thistle rushed him, she didn't have her Semblance or her aura, one shot and it could be it for her. All she could do was throw herself at him and hope for the best.

 **Bang!**

His gun fired and a searing pain burned into Thistle's shoulder just as she took him down. Pain sent her fight or flight response into overdrive… and she chose fight.

She slammed her elbow down on his face before wrapping her hands quickly with her chains and letting loose with weakened punches over and over again, grunting as his blood spattered over her… until he stopped moving.

Deadly silence returned her crimson stained knuckles were burning and her breathless gasps were the only sound that filled the air. _Fuck… I've been shot._

"I- I've got to get back." Every muscled screamed for her to stop moving, but she refused to listen, pushing herself every millimeter as she got to her feet, and walk away from the carnage.

 _I don't want to die, not until I see her again. Please don't let this kill me._

* * *

"Should we kill him?" A aggravated but curious voice spoke up, echoing softly inside the large metal warehouse.

"He's knocked out, we should wait for Thistle." Blake sighed, her deep concern for her friend who stayed behind growing by the minute.

"But what if he wakes up and he starts screaming?" Lilah grabbed the unconscious White Fang grunt by the back of his shirt, lifting him up as though he were dirty laundry, before dropping him back on his face with an audible **_thud_**.

"If we wakes up and starts screaming, we kill him, but until then, we should wait for Thistle, she's the most experienced with this." Blake looked up to the sky through the cracked windows near the ceiling. _I haven't seen action like this in a long time. I'm so useless… to think I used to daydream about becoming a huntress._

"Fine but I think she'd side with-"

 **Knock… … … knock…**

Weak, drawn out thumping at the metal doors stole the girl's attention. Both Blake and Lilah exchanging apprehensive looks before optimism got the better of Blake, walking cautiously over to the door. Glancing back quickly to her friend, all she got in response was an indifferent shrug.

Drawing in a deep breath, Blake readied herself for a fight… and opened the door.

"Told you… I'd make it back." At the door, a girl with messy, wild red hair, covered in dirt, blood and bruises smiled with more warmth and relief than she had any right to in her state.

"Thistle…" In an instant, Blake's fear snapped to heartache, relief and guilt. Warm amber eyes shimmered in the late-day light before tears washed sweat and dirt from her cheeks.

"Good to see you too, Kitten." She gave a weak laugh, playing with Roman's nickname for Blake as she staggered in, her hand clutching her blood soaked shoulder.

"You're hurt!" Wasting no time, Blake ushered her in and closed the door quietly behind her. "Lilah, get her something to sit on."

"Hey, do I look like your assistant?!" The lion faunus hissed, but all the same, she did just what she was tasked with, pulling a small crate over to them.

"Got shot in the shoulder, don't worry, I got off way better than the poor bastard that shot me, heh-he- _**cough**_ \- heh…" She kept her smile, trying not to worry the two non combatants that were counting on her to still be able to protect them.

"Don't be so reckless anymore. You could have died." Blake didn't waste any time tending to Thistle, still, just pulling her small hand from her shoulder, the wound gushed hot vital fluid and the tiny badass winced in pain.

"T-think you can patch me up?" The question was rhetorical, Thistle had no doubt in her mind that Blake was up to the task.

"I'll do everything I can." Examining the wound, she thought back to the drilling Ruby gave her on anatomy. "I need a cloth, take his shirt off and bring it to me."

"Fine." Lilah huffed, a little too exhausted at this point to put out her full attitude.

"The bullet is lodged in your deltoid muscle, with this much blood, I'm worried it might have hit an artery." Her heart was pounding, she'd never had to work on a living patient like this before. _I wish Ruby were here, I- I don't know if I can-_

"Do what you need to do. Ruby trained you, don't look so nervous." Her smile was growing weak and she seemed barely able to sit up.

 _But she's encouraging me anyway. Damn it, what did I say about being selfless._ Blake smiled back, a warm and thankful grin, until the wound caught her attention once again.

"Okay, it looks like the bullet hit your clavicle, it may have shattered there and and the fragments are what's causing so much bleeding." She redoubled her focus, putting pressure with her bare hand on the wound to stem the bleeding.

"I don't need a dissertation, heh-heh…" Thistle felt light headed and so pathetically weak, still, she forced a smile to her bloody, bruised face. _They're scared… I'm scared. If more show up, I'm not sure there's anything we can do. It'll be a few hours at best before my Aura recharges enough to fight, even then, I might only get a minute or two before my body gives out._

"Here's your gross shirt, you sure you should be putting that on there?" Draping the White Fang apparel over her shoulder she took a few steps back and made herself as comfortable as she could leaning against a stack of boxes.

"We can worry about infections later, Ruby will know how to handle it, for now, we just need to stop the bleeding." So she did just that, taking the sleeve of the top and tying it around Thistle's shoulder as tight as she possibly could, all while maintaining pressure on the wound.

"Hey, where'd you get him." All she could do was gesture with a nod of her head towards the unconscious and now topless White Fang grunt while she tried to ignore the pain of Blake's first aid.

"Oh, him, he was wandering around outside of this dump so we kicked his ass. Kinda pathetic how easy he went down too." Lilah snickered until a light-bulb seemingly went off in her head, reminding her of something. "Oh yeah, by the way, we were debating whether to kill him or keep him alive. Which would you have done?"

"Alive. He… might have… information we need." Thistle spoke between labored, pain heavy breaths.

"Told you." Blake took the petty victory and ran with it.

"Pssht, whatever." Huffing bitterly, Lilah begrudgingly accepted her defeat.

 **Thud!**

A sound from right outside sent a cold chill through the girls' blood as all their eyes slowly drifted to the source of the sound.

 _That was a car door closing. If we're lucky, it was the police or military or huntsmen… but I don't exactly feel lucky right now._ Thistle glared towards the source of the sound, taking a deep breath before forcing herself to stand.

With a motion of her hand she commanded the others to stay still and quiet and she struggled to climb a stack of crates that brought her up to the windows. Every single time she pulled herself upward, the pain in her shoulder felt like she was getting shot all over again.

By the time she made it, even more car doors could be heard slamming shut, followed by the chatter of men. Peering out the window, her heart froze with fear while her mind raced.

Four more carfuls of White Fang were there, including another big guy… _Great, this one's got a chainsaw._

"We've got… a problem." Thistle huffed, nearly collapsing to the floor if not for both Lilah and Blake catching her and holding her up.

"Yeah, what else is new?" Lilah griped as she and her roommate eased Thistle back to her small crate.

"How bad is it?" Blake was afraid to ask… especially when Thistle's hardened, almost confrontational eyes landed squarely on hers.

"Twenty more guys, and another Lieutenant from the looks of it." She sighed, shaking her head. "Lot of trouble to go through for just one girl. So, Blake, I'm only going to ask you this once, and all I'm asking for is the truth."

She was dreading this, she was dreading this since the day Ruby and Thistle first saved her life, what felt like a long time ago.

"Who the hell are you?" Stern, unwavering light purple eyes stared into her own, daring her to lie, like they were looking into her very soul.

"I- I…" She wanted to tell the truth, she was going to tell the truth… _But… I don't want to be alone._

"Do you know who Adam Taurus is?" Blake looked defeated, like a lost child who was admitting something terrible they did.

"The leader of the White Fang. What about him?" Thistle was too exhausted to play the guessing game.

"Yes, but to me… he's… he's my… he's my husband." Her eyes squeezed shut tight, she couldn't bring herself to look, she couldn't face either of them, what she was hiding, all this time. _And now- and now they-_

"What a pain in the ass. Why didn't you tell us this sooner?" Thistle sighed, she sighed. No rage, no disgust, no judgement… just… hurt.

"I'm sorry! I didn't want anyone to get involved and-"

"When you become part of someone's life you get them involved. You're so stupid, you don't want to be alone but you run away all the time, you don't want to get people you care about hurt but you keep them at a distance. You're stupid." Thistle Shook her head, trying to come to terms with Blake's unimaginable stupidity.

"Yeah, what she said, you stupid bitch!" Lilah gently smacked the back of her head. "If I had known you were were the wife of that sociopath, I would've asked for a different roommate, now I'm stuck with your dumb ass."

"You… you both…" She was in awe. Tears poured from her eyes silently and effortlessly while her mind struggled with a reality she never let herself even dream of. _I really am stupid._

"Alright, enough emotional shit for now. We've got to figure out a way to get- to get… w-what are you.. do..."

With just a bit of pressure on her carotid artery… Blake rendered Thistle unconscious.

"What the fuck was that?" Lilah was equal parts confused and scared as she watched Blake tenderly lift Thistle's tiny, unconscious body into her arms.

"I'm not letting you two die here. You're going to hide with her, keep her safe, then you're going to run to Ruby. I'll tell you how to get there." She hugged her sleeping friend, closing her eyes and sending a silent apology for what she had to do.

"What do you plan on doing?" No attitude this time, just pure worry and caring.

"I'm giving myself up. If they have me, they'll leave." She took a deep breath, and handed off Thistle to Lilah, finding it strangely painful to let go. "This isn't a request. I'm doing this."

Without letting her nerves have even a chance of getting the better of her, she bolted for the door, leaving Lilah and Thistle behind.

"You stupid bitch…"

* * *

 _I'm scared…_ Blake felt apprehension in every cell of her body. Her hands were bound the moment they grabbed her, and she was shoved into an armored vehicle, no windows, no light, no escape.

Blindfolded for good measure, and legs shackled with heavy chains, she knew they weren't taking any chances.

 _This is it… they really got me this time. I- I just hope Thistle and Lilah made it out._ She could feel her restraints digging into her wrists and ankles.

 _I don't even know where I am._ She felt at once claustrophobic and too terrified to move.

 _Where have they taken me?_ She tried to get some sense of her surroundings. All she knew was that the floor was hard and cold, and the air was so stale it was stifling.

 _What happens next?_ The question that kept playing through her mind over and over again from the moment she stepped into the open to be captured. Only one other question plagued her more viciously than any other.

 _Is **he** here?_ A wave of fear so potent that it brought with it sweeping nausea as it washed through her body and mind.

 _Everything I've done, it's led up to this. Me, here, alone._

 **Click**

Her ears twitched at the sudden sound, she could hear breathing, and people moving around.

"First, I'd like to thank you all for coming."

At the sudden, familiar voice, Blake's heart skipped a beat. _N-no way._

"Today is a momentous day, and a victory for so many who are suffering."

"Hmmrf!" Blake struggled, dragging herself towards the voice with her elbows and knees, until her head thumped against solid metal bars.

"Before we get into the details, I'd like to say that this victory is only possible thanks to the cooperation of many individuals, coming together for a common goal."

 _It can't be._ Blake struggled, forcing her face against the bars of her cage, pushing and pushing until the blindfold slipped off. Then… she saw…

"Ruby…" Blake's body shook and went weak at the sight of the doctor who had saved her, who she had lived with… _Who I… who I…_

"Venom addiction." Ruby spoke to the cameras and the press. "It's an epidemic that has been ignored far too long, while families suffer, while children watch their parents waste away."

Ruby looked like she was in rough shape, even on the small TV screen. Blake recalled what Thistle had told her, that Ruby was addicted to Venom. _Why would she do that? She couldn't be giving up, everything she's done, she's done for her sister, for the people she loves._

"Every day, the death toll grows. I've seen this suffering first hand in my clinic. I know the pain it brings… the misery that you need to feel to even take it, just to cope. The pain it brings to- to people you love. How it pushes people away who care about you. Until you're all alone."

 _Ruby… you idiot. Thistle still loves you. Yang, Roman, Neo, they all love you_. Blake felt inexplicable anger and empathy for Ruby, wishing she could reach into the screen and tell her that she's not alone.

"Recently, a contaminated batch has been circulating the streets, but even the sharp increase in deaths this month, is nothing but a blip compared to the hundred thousand that die every year from Venom."

 _Do you really want to die? If you do, why would you still be doing this? No, I know you, you won't abandon the people that need you… would you?_

"No! No more statistics, no more numbers, no casualties of an invisible war, with corruption, money and violence pulling at the strings. Today, we bring the war into the light. I'm proud to announce that, in partnership with the Vale Public Hospital and its satellite offices all around the kingdom, we will be creating the first network of rehab clinics."

The crowd cheered and clapped, and all the while, Ruby looked off. She smiled, but it was the smile Blake knew from the day she overthrew Rexxie, or the genuine smile while the three of them, herself Thistle and Ruby, were together. This was all wrong. _Is she high right now? Has it gotten that bad?_

"We will exert every effort, exhaust every option, and fight for every patient suffering from an illness long dismissed. With funding from the Vale Department of Health and our alliance with the Schnee Dust Company, we will start our Pilot Program today, in the VPH, and within the next month, we will have eight hundred rehab clinics spanning all of Remnant."

 _What are you doing all this for? What's the point? How does taking down the Venom Cartel help you? What are you thinking right now?_ Even with how far Ruby had fall, Blake felt completely absorbed in her world, it was the most beautiful and terrifying thing about living with Ruby.

"Now, we must all face the facts here. While Venom addiction can reach any life, anywhere, there is no doubt that Venom is a problem for the poor and suffering." Finally, her smile faded, replaced with righteous anger. "The people society has pushed down, the people that have been forgotten, the people that have been left behind. The sick, the lost… they're the most Vulnerable, and I refuse to let this go on any longer."

 _The lost… the sick… you really do care, don't you? Is that what you saw in me? In Thistle?_

"Faunus are disproportionately represented among Venom casualties. A class of people who have long been mistreated and oppressed. This, I won't stand for either."

 _You… want to save the world._ A small smile returned to Blake's face. For just a moment, she saw Ruby as a child, innocent and naive, someone who thought their love could save the world.

"I can't do this alone. Here, now, I am calling on the White Fang, to join me in saving the Faunus from Venom, and breaking the cycle of suffering and addiction. Help your people… help us."

In that moment… Blake felt the whole universe come to a halt.

Her pupils widened and her heart was pounding, every thought was burning away as she looked into the silver eyes staring into her own from the other side of the screen.

Tears poured down her face and she was shaking as every emotion imaginable rocked her from the inside out. Awe, pure, unimaginable awe, glowed inside her from the very core of her being.

 _She… she's doing this for me…_ Blake muscles all gave out with only the cage bars holding her up. _She's going to... destroy the White Fang._

 **Click.**

"Fucking whore, thinks we're gonna take orders from a human." A White Fang grunt spat on the ground as he turned the TV off.

"Hahaha, I know right? Adam's gonna kill her." Another man stood up beside him, holding his stomach while he chortled.

"Hey!" Blake had been seen. The two men walked up to her cage, but she barely noticed, still reeling from what she had just experienced. "Who told you you could take your blindfold off, traitor bitch!"

"Aww, look, she's cry'n, bet she thinks we'll take pity on her if she looks pathetic enough." The two shared another laugh, getting a kick out of slamming their weapons against the railing of the cage, making Blake jump.

"She's kinda cute, dressed up like a slut and all." The larger of the two men, bald and smelling like he didn't know how to wash his clothes, leaned towards the cage to get a better look at Blake's outfit from the strip club.

"Think the boss would be mad if we had some fun with her? I mean, his only instructions were to bring her in alive." The skinnier man, with koala's nose and slicked back brown hair reached between the bars towards their captive.

 **Chomp!**

"Fuck! She bit me!" He screamed, flailing his bleeding hand.

"You don't want to touch me." Blake glared, baring her teeth. "If Adam doesn't kill you, you couldn't imagine what will come for you if you hurt me."

"Oh look, thinks she's all big now cuz she nipped your hand like a misbehaved pet. Well, we'll fix that attitude of y-"

 **Ring-ring-ring-ring!**

Everything came to a stop as a scroll on the counter began to ring and vibrate. The men backed off, before the closer of the two to the scroll answered it.

"Hello?" He said dumbly before immediately stiffening up. "L-Lord Taurus! Um, yes, we still have her. Oh, okay, yeah, one sec."

A dark grin grew across his face as he slowly walked towards her, holding the scroll up just outside her cage.

"Hello… darling." The voice that gave her nightmares every single night, the voice that haunted her, the voice that whispered to her in her darkest times…

"A-Adam…"

"You remembered me, after all this time, you do care." He relished the terror in her voice. "It's been long time, my beloved, since you left."

"What do you want from me!?" She shouted, out of fear and impulse, and immediately, her instincts made her flinch, fearing retaliation.

"What do I want? I want you to suffer, every minute, every second, until you and I are together again. Then? Well… until death do us part." He laughed maniacally, savoring the sweet sound of her terror and imagining all the horrible things he would do to her once he had her back.

"No."

"Wait… what did you say?" Adam's voice took a turn for confusion and amusement.

"I said, no. I'm not going to be afraid of you anymore." Blake took in a deep inhale, and with her exhale, released her fear and tension in a single breath.

"You will always be afraid of me." His amusement had ended, and he sounded like his usual self once again.

"No, because you're nothing, Adam." She glared right into the scroll, speaking without wavering or faltering. "You're a monster, a weak and pathetic monster. I've seen your eyes, they're nothing compared to the eyes you'll be staring down the day you die."

"Is this some kind of game? Are you trying to bluff your way out of this?" He laughed, but Blake's face was stoic.

"A monster like you, is nothing. The will that moves the world, the fallen angel who gave up her soul to do what was impossible, the one who took in a stray, and gave her a home… the one who _will_ save the world, is someone you can't even come close to. You're nothing compared to her, and you're nothing to me."

"You're delusional."

"You're finished. She's coming for you, and it's not malice or spite or lust for power that compels her, it's- it's love!" Now, her expression broke, and she was crying again. _Love…_

"Nobody, will keep me from you." He tried, he tried so hard to sound in control, but his frustration and anger bled through.

"Nobody can keep you from her. I won't die here, or wherever you plan on bringing me. Because… Because I'm going-"

"Enough!" He screamed through the scroll, enraged and burning to hurt her. "Boys, do what you like with her… but I am the one that gets to kill her."

 **Click.**

Just like that, he hung up.

"Hehehehe, looks like it's our lucky day." The man grinned disgustingly as he tossed the scroll onto the small, dirty couch in front of the TV.

"Back off!" Blake growled, pushing herself to the back wall of the cage, showing her teeth as the two men reached in together.

She tried to fight back… but a powerful blow to her head stunned her while they dragged her out. The larger man pinned her up against the wall, while they took turns beating her.

Each blow felt like they were trying to kill her. She was sure her rib cracked from a knee going into her chest. Her inner cheek was gashed open by a blow to the face. She barely noticed when they began to take her top off.

"Adam sure knew how to pick 'em when it comes to looks." She vaguely heard one of them mumble.

 _Ruby, I- I don't know if I'll ever get to see you again, but if I die, please… don't close your heart. I'm not the only one waiting to-_

 **BOOOOOM!**

A heavy metal, reinforced door exploded from, taking a large chunk of the concrete wall with it.

Through blurry vision, Blake weakly raised her head over one of men's shoulders to see a tiny figure with flowing, short red hair, while the room filled with the sound of dangerous hissing and popping.

"Let her go." Thistle's voice was so leathally cold that even the men who had been beating her did as she said.

"Th- Thistle…" She smiled, even through all the pain, she smiled.

"Stay calm and keep your head down. I'm here now." She smiled back, looking in even worse shape than the person she came to save, but even so, she stepped into the White Fang den without hesitation.

"Who the fuck are you?" The men grabbed their guns and swords… but before they could even move, Thistle had bolted towards them.

Her fist smashed into the face of the smaller man, breaking his jaw and sending teeth flying. She only had one good arm, but they didn't stand a chance.

As she and the now unconscious man hit the ground, she immediately rolled forward, getting behind the larger guy who was still turning around.

"Gaaah!" He shouted in pain as her blade followed behind her, slashing his leg before she jumped up, landing a powerful uppercut to his jaw stunning him then she slashed his belly open, spilling out his intestines. He immediately went into shock, and collapsed.

"Come on, we need to get out of here. It took almost all my aura just get that door down." Thistle broke through Blake's restraints and put herself underneath her arm, the two supporting each other as they stood.

"How did you find me?" Blake staggered to her feet, trying to keep her weight off Thistle as much as possible.

"That White Fang guy you knocked out." As the exited the building, Blake felt cool, fresh night air wash over her.

"Where's Lilah?" She asked weakly.

"Taking care of some kids I… you know what, never mind, it's a long story."

"Thistle…"

"What's up?"

"I… I want to go home now."

"Yeah… me too."


End file.
